Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) people have successfully added overseas vaccinations to their NIMS record at a regional vaccination centre to access a Covid Pass and (b) appointments had been made available for this purpose by 11 January 2021.

Maggie Throup: The information is not available in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling access to NHS covid-19 testing for a further three months.

Maggie Throup: From 1 April 2022, free universal access to lateral flow device tests for the public in England will end. We will continue to make testing available for a small number of at risk groups. Further details on eligible groups will be made available in due course.

Infant Foods: Sales

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to tackle the resale of prescription only formula feeds through online auction sites.

Maggie Throup: Formula feeds, along with other items from Part XV of the Drug Tariff, are not prescription only medicines (POM) and most can be purchased from a pharmacy as foods or food supplements, as well as being prescribed if a general practitioner decides it is clinically appropriate to do so. As they are not POM, there is no restriction in medicines legislation relating to providing these to another person, whether or not for sale.Food business operators are required to undertake a product recall where there may be unsafe product placed on the market. It is responsibility of the business to ensure that withdrawn and recalled products are handled appropriately. Activities to prevent the resale of any affected product that has been subject to a recall would be overseen by the relevant local authority to ensure that no product is re-sold and the product is destroyed. The Food Standards Agency monitors online sales platforms for any affected products and requests their removal from sale when found.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with SAGE on the (a) recent rise in covid-19 infections, (b) scale of pressure on the NHS and (c) potential need to take steps to reduce covid-19 hospital admissions.

Maggie Throup: There have been no specific discussions. As we enter a new phase of the response, the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies is not expecting to meet on a regular basis but will advise Ministers if required.

Vitamin D: Deficiency Diseases

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has commissioned research to determine whether a connection exists between vitamin D deficiency and the virality of covid-19.

Maggie Throup: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR has provided infrastructure support to three studies on vitamin D levels and on the use of supplementation and COVID-19 disease. As the largest public funder of health and care research, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including vitamin deficiencies and COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will request the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to publish the interactive drug analysis profiles for each covid-19 vaccine.

Maggie Throup: The Yellow Card scheme is the safety monitoring system operated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This scheme encourages reports of suspected adverse reactions from healthcare professionals, patients and the public for the purpose of detecting signals of new or changing safety issues. Data is used for the purpose of regulation and is held by the MHRA in confidence. The MHRA publishes weekly summaries of Yellow Card data associated with the COVID-19 vaccines, including detailed analyses of safety signals to support understanding of the vaccine safety profiles. More specific and contextualised data from reports of suspected adverse reactions associated with COVID-19 vaccines such as the type of data included in interactive drug analysis profiles will be available by the end of 2022.

Coronavirus: Preventive Medicine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2022 to Question 131324 on Coronavirus: Preventive Medicine, if he will publish the findings of the commissioned independent expert groups on clinically eligible patient cohorts.

Maggie Throup: The findings will be published in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 4 October 2021 on accidental intravenous administration of covid-19 vaccines, case reference MP71789.

Edward Argar: We replied to the Rt hon. Member on 23 November 2021.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the (a) level of transmission of covid-19 and (b) possible emergence of new variants in the context of fewer people testing for covid-19.

Maggie Throup: Data held on the level of transmission of COVID-19 continues to be published daily on the United Kingdom Coronavirus Dashboard and a summary can also be found in the weekly National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports. Data suggests that the proportion of people testing positive for COVID-19 has increased nationally. The number of new cases of COVID-19 detected in those aged 60 years old and above is also increasing and these groups are the most at risk of hospital admission.Since the cessation of mandatory testing, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continues to undertake regular monitoring of UK and international genomic data to detect and characterise new variants. In the UK, this includes data from routine testing and surveillance studies, with variant evaluation based on data from multiple sources. The Omicron BA.2 variant is now the most common variant in England. This data is published via variant technical documents published by the UKHSA. The latest epidemiological and healthcare data remains under constant review.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 18 November 2021 on the availability of VAP1 show purchase for haemodialysis patents.

Edward Argar: We replied to the Rt hon. Member on 21 March 2022.

Vitamin D: Deficiency Diseases

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on the proportion of (a) children and (b) adults that are deficient in Vitamin D in (i) Kirklees and (ii) West Yorkshire.

Maggie Throup: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, United Kingdom-wide data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that approximately one in six adults have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. There was evidence of low blood levels for vitamin D in all age groups with 13% of adults aged 65 years old and over, 19% of children aged 11 to 18 years old and 2% of children aged four to 10 years old had low vitamin D status.

Vitamin D: Deficiency Diseases

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to increase the availability of treatment via NHS services for vitamin D deficiency.

Maggie Throup: The treatment of vitamin D deficiency is provided as part of routine patient care across the National Health Service. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) sets the best practice clinical standard for the provision of NHS services. Pathways for the investigation and treatment of vitamin D deficiency are commissioned locally in line with the latest NICE guidance.

NHS: Car Allowances

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the sufficiency of mileage rates for NHS staff required to use vehicles for work in the context of rising fuel prices.

Edward Argar: Reimbursement of travel costs are covered by the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and National Health Service trade unions. The current rate for staff who use their vehicles to make journeys in the performance of their duties is 56 pence per mile, above the HM Revenue and Customs approved mileage rate of 45 pence per mile. This rate decreases to 20 pence per mile after 3,500 miles. The NHS Terms and Conditions sets out the process for reviewing the rate of reimbursement every six months, which includes reviewing fluctuations in fuel prices.The Department works with the NHS Staff Council to ensure terms and conditions arrangements are fit for purpose for NHS staff, including on this issue.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 15 November 2021 on the sustainability of re-enablement care, reference case number MP72511.

Edward Argar: We replied to the Rt hon. Member on 18 March 2022.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the availability of mental health support services for people who have experienced trauma; and whether he has plans to expand provision of those services.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: ICT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of how many and what proportion providers of IT clinical settings are compliant with the information standard DBC0129 on clinical risk management.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure (a) adequate covid-19 surveillance and (b) the UK's ability to respond to future waves of covid-19 in the context of the withdrawal of funding from the Zoe covid symptom checker, the CoMix social contacts survey and the Siren and Vivaldi studies.

Maggie Throup: The Government will continue monitoring the virus through maintaining scaled back surveillance studies such as the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey, SIREN, Vivaldi and other data sources including genomic sequencing. As a result of these developments, the Department and the UK Health Security Agency are no longer in a position to fund the ZOE COVID study and CoMix social contact study. The Government will keep all surveillance activities under review to ensure we have the capabilities to monitor waves of COVID-19 and defend against future variants.

NHS: Private Patients

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2022 to Question 118533, and with reference to the Answer of 6 February 2014 to Question 186278, if he will publish the count of finished admission episodes for NHS providers where the source of admission was a non-NHS run hospital for the years 2016-17 to 2021-22.

Edward Argar: The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) to National Health Service hospitals, where the source of admission was from a non-NHS hospital provider, in each month between April 2016 to March 2021, the last month for which finalised data is available.YearMonthFAEs2016April6292016May5922016June5792016July6482016August6572016September7382016October7752016November5812016December5442017January4942017February4972017March6132017April4542017May5792017June6432017July6682017August6572017September7142017October7212017November7552017December6432018January8402018February6092018March6692018April7322018May7812018June8132018July9712018August7922018September10042018October10092018November8542018December7262019January6992019February5252019March5072019April3892019May4082019June3882019July4162019August4372019September4942019October6642019November5662019December4112020January4122020February4312020March3532020April3772020May3712020June4482020July6742020August7602020September6682020October6022020November5702020December4822021January3212021February4292021March582 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes:A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are usually counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. However, for the purposes of this analysis, we have recorded episodes by the month and year in which the admission started. This may lead to a shortfall in the most recent provisional months, as some patients admitted in these months, may still be in hospital at the time the data was collected and therefore not be included in the final figures. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.'NHS hospitals' was defined by 'Care trust', 'NHS foundation trust' and 'NHS trust'.A code which identifies where the patient was immediately prior to admission. Most patients are admitted from home, but there are some significant exceptions. In particular, this field differentiates between patients admitted from home and patients transferred from another hospital provider or institution. For the purposes of this tabulation, records have been limited to those with an ADMISORC (Admission Source) of 87 - Non-NHS run hospital.HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time should be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information. It should be noted that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, for example, 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013

Department of Health and Social Care: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Edward Argar: The Department is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and is currently developing a sustainability strategy and undertaking surveys of its estate to understand the changes required to achieve net zero. Between 2009/10 and 2019/20 it reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 64%.

General Practitioners: Mental Health

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on GP staff mental health in (a) Brent, (b) London and (c) England.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Practitioner Health is a service for doctors and dentists in England to support those with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or looking to return to clinical practice. The service reported on the impact of COVID-19 in the period from October 2020 to March 2021 and found that from April 2020, the percentage of general practitioners (GPs) presenting to the service compared to other specialities decreased from 55% to 46% of all presentations.The Keeping Well North West London staff support hub offers rapid psychological assessment, advice, emotional support, signposting and onward referral for National Health Service and social care staff, including general practice staff. The Hub has undertaken specific engagement with primary care staff, including GPs, and identified the need for specific support strategies for this staff group. The Hub plans to form a focus group with primary care staff to collaboratively design these strategies.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 3 August 2021 on problems encountered at Watford General Hospital and the lack of local health care, reference case number MP70952.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Food: Nutrition

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to launch its consultation on the products in scope for the upcoming restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to accelerate the approval of therapies and medicines that were approved by the European Medicines Agency but have not yet been approved for use in the UK by the MHRA.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: ICT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the risk to (a) patient safety and (b) data security of companies that provide IT services to healthcare settings that are not compliant with the information standard DBC0129 on clinical risk management.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Visits

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will continue to provide free Lateral Flow Tests for Care Home visitors after 1 April 2022.

Gillian Keegan: The testing regime in adult social care after 1 April 2022 is under review. Until then, testing for visitors to care homes should align with current guidance on testing. We will set out further details in due course.

General Practitioners: ICT

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) compatibility of IT systems used by general practitioners.

Maria Caulfield: There are currently three Foundation Systems available to general practitioners in England: EMIS Web GP (Egton Medical Information Systems Ltd); SystmOne (The Phoenix Partnership(Leeds) Ltd); and Vision 3 (InPractice Systems Ltd t/a Cegedim Healthcare Solutions). EMIS Web GP and SystmOne products fully meet the GP2GP standard and can be used to share patient medical records between general practitioners (GPs) when a patient registers at a different practice. Vision 3 is expected to fully meet the standard by the end of April 2022.As of March 2022, there are 6,505 GPs within England, with 60% using the EMIS Web GP system, 39% using SystmOne, and 1% using Vision 3.

Dental Services: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of patients access to dental services in (a) the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council area, (b) the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority area and (c) England.

Maria Caulfield: National Health Service dental provision in England, Barnsley and South Yorkshire has been impacted by the pandemic, which has reduced the number of available appointments due to necessary infection prevention and control procedures.An additional £50 million for NHS dentistry was made available for the remainder of 2021/22 to provide access to NHS dental care appointments. NHS dentists have been asked to prioritise available capacity for urgent care, care for vulnerable groups and children, followed by delayed planned care. Patients can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre or NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.

Health Services: LGBT+ People

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which stakeholder groups the NHS England National Advisor for LGBT Health has engaged with in the last six months.

Maria Caulfield: The National Adviser for LGBT Health engages with a wide range of stakeholder groups including Government departments, National Health Service organisations, Royal Colleges, regulators and voluntary and community sector organisations. In the last six months the National Adviser for LGBT Health has engaged with the following organisations:- The Department of Health and Social Care;- The Government Equalities Office;- The Care Quality Commission;- The General Medical Council;- The Nursing and Midwifery Council;- The General Pharmaceutical Council;- The Royal College of General Practitioners;- The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology;- The Royal College of Midwives;- The Royal College of Nurses;- The Equality and Human Rights Commission;- NHS Digital;- NHSX;- The UK Health Security Agency;- The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities;- Healthwatch;- Albert Kennedy Trust;- Opening Doors London;- National LGB&T Partnership;- LGBT Consortium;- LGBT Foundation;- Metro Charity;- Stonewall Housing;- The Proud Trust;- Stonewall;- Alike;- Mermaids;- Live Through This;- LGBT Hero;- Yorkshire Mesmac- cliniQ;- Terrence Higgins Trust;- Gendered Intelligence;- Leicester LGBT Centre;- Birmingham LGBT;- Galop;- Switchboard;- London Friend;- LGBTIQ Outside Project;- Lancashire LGBT;- Intersex Equality Rights UK;- Spectra;- Intercom Trust;- LGBT Dorset;- MindOut;- ELOP (East London Out Project);- Parapride;- Intersex Equality Rights UK;- National Maternity Voices;- Beyond Bea;- Aching Arms;- LGBT Mummies Tribe;- Local Maternity Voice Partnership Chairs;- Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals;- NHS Youth Forum;- Womens’ Budget Group;- Women’s Resource Centre;- Fair Play for Women;- Faith Action;- The Race Equality Foundation; and- The HOPE Network.

Dental Services: Procurement

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of existing dentistry procurement rules on dental practices’ ability to change commissioning arrangements.

Maria Caulfield: Within the existing dental contract, National Health Service dental contractors are able to deliver up to 4% below and 2% above their contracted number of units of dental activity and carry this activity over to the following year. An additional 2% or up to 104% can be carried out with the agreement of regional commissioners.Flexible commissioning allows regional commissioners to work with dental practices to utilise a portion of an existing contract to deliver additional services and activity. This is often used to deliver specific initiatives, including oral public health improvement.

Medical Treatments: Refugees

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the availability of medical treatment for Afghan refugees who have been resettled in the UK.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is ensuring that Afghan refugees have access to a range of support, including healthcare. In 2021, £3 million was provided to the National Health Service to support an enhanced healthcare offer for people arriving through Afghan resettlement schemes. All Afghan refugees have now registered with a general practitioner or are being helped to do so and a range of vaccinations are being offered, alongside mental health and other services.

Pharmacy: Recruitment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase recruitment of community pharmacists.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to recognise the role of Community Pharmacists as clinically trained professionals.

Maria Caulfield: Community pharmacy employers, as private businesses, are responsible for the recruitment and retention of their staff. The Government fully recognises community pharmacists as clinically trained professionals. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework sets out an increasing role for pharmacists in delivering more clinical services and utilising their skills to support the National Health Service.NHS England is investing a further £15.9 million over the next four years to support the expansion of frontline pharmacy staff in primary and community care. This will provide increased access to educational, prescribing and clinical training and development opportunities for post registration pharmacy professionals.

General Practitioners: Labour Turnover

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the recruitment and retention of GPs in (a) Brent, (b) London and (c) England.

Maria Caulfield: The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment scheme funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract general practitioner (GP) trainees to work in areas of the country where training places have been unfilled for a number of years, including in Brent and London. In the London training schemes, in 2022 approximately 120 are being targeted at practices in deprived areas. In addition, National Health Service regional teams continue to deliver a number of projects through the GP Retention Fund.We have also increased the number of GP training places. In 2021/22, 4,000 trainees accepted a place on GP training - an increase from 2,671 in 2014. The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. These include the GP Retention Scheme, the International Induction Programme, the Return to Practice Programme, the Fellowship Programme, the New to Partnership Payment and Supporting Mentors Scheme.

Dental Services: Standards

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether NHS England has met its statutory duty to commission sufficient dentistry to meet the needs of the population; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have set increasing thresholds for activity in National Health Service contracts, supporting increases in access whilst maintaining compliance with infection prevention and control measures. We have provided an additional £50 million for NHS dental services in 2021/22 to ensure access for more people, including children and vulnerable patients. In addition, the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals for the reform of the NHS dental contract, working with the British Dental Association. One of its aims is to improve patient access to NHS dental care.

Dentistry: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential relationship between the (a) presence of dental schools in a region and (b) recruitment and retention rates of dentists within that region.

Maria Caulfield: Following a three-year review of dental education and training, Health Education England set out recommendations in the Advancing Dental Care Review. These aim to tackle recruitment and retention challenges, attracting and retaining more dentists and dental care professionals in the National Health Service. These recommendations will be implemented through the Dental Education Reform Programme.

NHS: Dental Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the long-term impact of dental activity targets on availability of NHS dentistry services in England.

Maria Caulfield: The purpose of the activity thresholds was to support the provision of income protection for providers of National Health Service dentistry, reflecting the ability to provide less activity during the pandemic due to maintaining compliance with infection prevention and control measures. The income protection provided by the Government has supported dental practices in continuing to provide services and has ensured the NHS retains its ability to provide dental care in the long term.

Antenatal Care

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure the provision of consistent and sensitive antenatal care after baby loss for parents across the UK.

Maria Caulfield: Perinatal mental health services around England are being expanded to include new mental health hubs for new, expectant or bereaved mothers. These hubs will offer physical health checks and psychological therapy in one location.We have funded Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity to work with other baby loss charities and Royal Colleges to develop a National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) to reduce the variation in the quality of bereavement care provided by the National Health Service for those who have experienced baby loss. The NBCP project provides the national framework, guidance and tools to support the implementation of high-quality bereavement care. Over 70% of NHS trusts in England are implementing the pathway, with the remaining trust having expressed an interest in joining the programme.

Menopause: Medical Treatments

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide patients access to (a) hormone replacement therapy and (b) other innovative treatments for the menopause.

Maria Caulfield: The menopause will be a priority within the forthcoming Women’s Health Strategy. We are working with the National Health Service and the UK Menopause Taskforce on improving access to hormone replacement therapy. This includes reviewing implementation options for reducing the cost of NHS prescriptions. The Life Sciences Vision sets out the aim of establishing the United Kingdom as a centre for the development, trialling and adoption of innovative new medicines. This includes the role of the NHS as a testbed for innovative treatments, creating new commercial partnerships with industry and a culture of innovation.

NHS: Dental Services

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the online NHS find a dentist tool was last updated.

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how regularly the online NHS find a dentist tool is updated.

Maria Caulfield: The National Health Service dental profiles are updated monthly. Dental practices can also update this information as necessary, which is then immediately available. Practices are encouraged to state whether they are accepting new patients at least every 90 days, as failure to do so results in the information being removed from the website.

Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Mental Health

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impacts of endometriosis and PCOS on mental health; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: We invited women to share experiences of gynaecological conditions, such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), through the Women’s Health Strategy call for evidence. The results of the call for evidence survey were published on 23 December 2021, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/womens-health-strategy-call-for-evidenceMenstrual health and gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis and PCOS, will be a priority within the forthcoming Women’s Health Strategy. We aim to publish the Strategy in spring 2022. We also plan to launch a public discussion paper later this year to inform the development of a new cross-Government mental health plan.

Endometriosis: Diagnosis

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average diagnosis time was for endometriosis in each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: The data is not available in the format requested.

Dental Services: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand the eligibility for the £50 million NHS dentistry catchup fund to allow applications for orthodontic treatments.

Maria Caulfield: There are no plans to extend the eligibility for the fund. Available for the remainder of the 2021/22 financial year, this funding will provide access to National Health Service dental care appointments targeted at those suffering from oral pain, disease and infection.

Carers: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether carers who support people who are (a) clinically vulnerable or (b) immuno-supressed will have access to covid-19 tests after March 2022.

Gillian Keegan: The testing regime in adult social care after 1 April 2022 is currently under review and we will set out further details in due course.

Bipolar Disorder

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder by (a) age group and (b) gender in each of the last three years.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Oral Tobacco: Health Hazards

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of the Action on Smoking and Health finding that the use of snus is over 100 times less harmful than smoking.

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of overturning the ban on oral tobacco products such as snus.

Maggie Throup: We have no plans to make such an assessment as the Department has no intention to legalise banned tobacco products. Snus use is associated with raised all-cause mortality. Whilst the risks of adverse health outcomes caused by snus are lower than smoking, we have found no evidence that introducing snus to the United Kingdom market will bring health benefits given the existing availability of non-tobacco nicotine pouches. It remains the Government’s policy to help people to quit all forms of tobacco use.

Coronavirus: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many private PCR test providers have been requested to undertake correction action within a set timeframe as a result of providing inadequate services; and if he will publish the (a) names of those companies, (b) correction action required, (c) timeframes given and (d) whether the corrective action has been completed.

Maggie Throup: As of 14 January 2022, 88 providers had been requested to undertake corrective action in order to meet minimum standards and as a result were removed from GOV.UK. No set timeframes were issued for corrective action to be undertaken. Private providers may be reinstated to the list once evidence of such actions has been submitted to the Department.Since 6 December 2021, a further 465 providers received warnings in relation to prices published on GOV.UK to ensure they are accurate and match the provider’s website. We are unable to provide the names of these companies as this information is commercially sensitive.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds a minute of the meeting between the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation and Oxford Nanopore Technologies on Nanopore covid-19 testing held on 8 January 2021.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds a minute of the meeting between the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation and Nanopore regarding Nanopore international genomic sequencing on 26 February 2021.

Maggie Throup: The Department holds copies of the minutes of the meetings of 8 January 2021 and 26 February 2021.

Laboratories: Coronavirus

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff working in the national laboratory network, including (a) NHS, (b) UKHSA, (c) Lighthouse laboratories and (d) Mobile Processing Units, were absent on 7 January 2022, as a result of self-isolation following a positive covid-19 test; and whether he has made an assessment of the effect of staff absence at those facilities on PCR processing capacity.

Maggie Throup: On 7 January 2022, there were estimated to be 144 staff across the Lighthouse Laboratory network absent due to COVID-19 isolation. Data on absences in the UK Health Security Agency’s laboratories are included in this network. Information on the number of staff that were absent from National Health Service laboratories and Mobile Processing Units could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. No assessment has been made of the impact of these absences.

Coronavirus: Screening

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the current delays facing UK Coronavirus Test Device Approval (CTDA) assessments; and what plans his Department has to expedite the backlog before the February 2022 review deadline.

Maggie Throup: The backlog of tests in the Coronavirus Test Device Approval (CTDA) process was due to insufficient evidence submitted by applicants. We have since worked with applicants on the additional information required and permitted further time to submit this evidence. On 7 February 2022, we updated the online guidance for applicants to provide greater clarity on acceptance criteria for the range of viral loads within samples. The majority of applications are now meeting these standards and the rate of approvals is increasing.

Coronavirus: Screening

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) details of applications submitted to the Coronavirus Test Device Approval process, (b) dates on which each application was submitted, (c) date on which the applicant company was informed of a decision and (d) whether the decision was positive or negative in each case.

Maggie Throup: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive. The Department publishes details of approved tests including the date of the decision, on GOV.UK at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-test-validation-approved-productsIf an application is unsuccessful, the applicant can request that we reconsider the decision. Officials continue to work with applicants through this process and guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-test-approval-how-to-apply

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds any list of patients who have been identified as immunocompromised and are eligible for new covid-19 treatments first announced in December 2021; and whether such a list includes the addresses of those patients.

Maggie Throup: The Department commissioned an independent expert group to identify clinically eligible patient cohorts most likely to progress towards developing severe COVID-19. These cohorts form part of an evidence-based clinical policy for the treatment of COVID-19, agreed by the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers. The treatments available include the monoclonal antibody therapy sotrovimab, as well as the oral antiviral treatments molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir + ritonavir.The Department does not hold a list of these patients, nor any identifiable personal information.

Medical Records: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients with an E17 postcode have a condition marked in their NHS record which is included in the list of conditions that the NHS classify as putting people at highest risk from covid-19.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 PCR tests the NHS has sent to patients in the E17 postcode area as part of the programme to identify positive cases among people at highest risk from covid-19.

Maggie Throup: As of 8 March 2022, 1,970 people in the E17 postcode were identified as at highest risk from COVID-19, based on the COVID-19 Treatment Methodology. As of 17 March, 2,315 priority polymerase chain reaction test kits have been sent to patients who may be suitable for COVID-19 treatments in this postcode. This includes replenishment kits sent automatically or ordered by the patient via 119. These figures have been rounded to the nearest five in accordance with disclosure rules.

Energy Drinks: Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to implement the ban on sales of energy drinks to under 16s that was announced in August 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: We will set out our full response to the consultation on ending the sale of energy drinks to children in due course.

Contact Tracing: Software

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to continue funding (a) King’s College London’s symptom-tracking Zoe app and (b) Imperial College London’s React-1 Covid monitoring study; for what reasons funding for those studies has been stopped; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: We have now begun a new phase of living with the virus, as outlined in ‘COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19’ published on 21 February 2022. The Government will continue monitoring the virus through maintaining surveillance studies such as the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey and other data sources, including genomic sequencing. As a result, the Department and the UK Health Security Agency are no longer in a position to fund the ZOE COVID study and REACT-1 study.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of including a record of the covid-19 booster vaccination on the NHS App; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: From 1 November 2021 to 30 November 2021, the Department received 1,647 items of correspondence, including representations from stakeholders relating to vaccines. However, to identify those cases which referred to certification of the booster vaccination on the NHS App would incur disproportionate cost.However, a record of the booster or third dose of the COVID-19 vaccination is now available in the NHS App.

Vitamin D: Deficiency Diseases

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support community organisations tackling vitamin D deficiencies.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the impacts of vitamin D deficiency in Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the impacts of vitamin D deficiency in educational facilities.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that pregnant women receive advice on their vitamin D intake.

Maggie Throup: Advice on vitamin D is available at NHS.UK and the social marketing campaigns Start4Life, Better Health and Healthier Families. This includes messaging aimed at people from ethnic minority groups with dark skin and pregnant women.In December 2020, a marketing campaign raised awareness of the importance of taking a vitamin D supplement over the winter months. The campaign was promoted using social media, email programmes and websites. This included paid advertising focused on black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Additionally, messages were delivered by black and Asian healthcare professionals on popular radio stations.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline focuses on how to increase supplement use to prevent vitamin D deficiency among specific population groups, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and people with dark skin. The guideline also includes recommendations for local authorities, National Health Service trusts, and voluntary and community organisations, as well as healthcare professionals such as general practitioners and midwives.The Healthy Start scheme provides an opportunity for health professionals and others working with pregnant women and families to offer encouragement, information and advice on issues such as healthy eating, breastfeeding, and vitamins. As part of the scheme, pregnant women and new mothers can receive a supplement which contains folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin D.To address maternal health disparities during the pandemic, the Chief Midwifery Officer also wrote to Local Maternity Systems to ensure that hospitals discuss vitamins, supplements, and nutrition in pregnancy with all women. While we have not taken specific steps to raise awareness of the impacts of vitamin D deficiency in educational facilities, nutrition and healthy eating is taught in schools as part of design and technology and Relationships, Sex Education and Health Education.

Electronic Cigarettes: Imports

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what monitoring is undertaken on the safety of imported e-liquids used in vaping products.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to (a) regulate or (b) restrict the artificial colouring of e-liquids used in vaping products.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what powers the Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency has to regulate the production of e-liquids for vaping products in domestic settings.

Maggie Throup: The Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the competent authority to manage the notification system for vaping products in the United Kingdom. The MHRA monitors imported e-liquids used in vaping products through this system but has no powers to regulate their production in domestic settings.Businesses supplying vapes and e-liquids to the UK market must ensure their products comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), including relating to the safety of their products. Local trading standards have enforcement powers to remove non-compliant products. There are no current plans to further regulate or restrict the artificial colouring of e-liquids beyond what is contained in the TRPR for product requirements.

England Infected Blood Support Scheme

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether non means tested monthly bereaved partner payments, paid to the bereaved relatives of the contaminated blood victims, will be paid for life.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is committed to continue the support to the infected blood community.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to speed up sarcoma cancer diagnoses.

Maria Caulfield: The National Health Service is establishing non-specific symptom pathways to provide a new route to diagnosis for patients who cannot be referred to a single cancer pathway. This may include patients who are ultimately diagnosed with sarcoma. NHS system planning guidance for 2022/23 has asked local systems to extend coverage of non-specific symptom pathways to at least 75% of the population by March 2023. We have also invested £325 million in capital funding in NHS diagnostics in 2021/22.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the risk to public health of the provision of samples of free vaping products to people under the age of 18.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to include vaping products within the scope of Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002.

Maggie Throup: There are no plans to bring vaping products in scope of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. Advertising restrictions for e-cigarettes are outlined in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. As part of our Smokefree 2030 plans, we are exploring a range of regulatory measures to prevent children and young people from using vaping products.

Health Visitors: Health Services

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Department has to end the practice of allowing health visiting services to count remote contacts in their delivery metrics following the lifting of covid-19 restrictions.

Maria Caulfield: Guidance on the collection of health visitor service metrics is currently under review. This follows the changes made during initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and advice on use of virtual contacts. The review on data collection will reflect the national service model, which confirms that mandated reviews should be conducted face to face.

Coronavirus: Screening

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what basis he made the decision not to provide free symptomatic testing for covid-19 for NHS staff after 1 April 2022.

Maggie Throup: From 1 April 2022, free universal asymptomatic and symptomatic testing for the general public in England will end. We will provide free testing to a number of at risk groups. Further details on eligible groups will be available in due course.

Medical Records: Firearms

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that general practitioners place markers on the medical notes of those licensed to hold firearms.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has worked with the Home Office and the British Medical Association (BMA) to ensure that general practitioners (GPs) are aware of and understand how to use the marker system. Statutory guidance for chief officers of police on firearms licensing states that when a firearm or shotgun certificate is granted or a person is registered as a firearms dealer, the police will contact the applicant’s GP to ask them to place a firearms marker on the applicant’s medical record.The BMA has produced guidance for GPs about firearm digital marker use and signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019 with the National Police Chiefs Council and the Home Office which encouraged GPs to place a firearms flag on patient records when requested.

Coronavirus: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends of the level in covid-19 in York.

Maggie Throup: As elsewhere in England, COVID-19 cases rates in York have seen a recent rise. The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Yorkshire and the Humber Health Protection Team continues to monitor COVID-19 levels throughout the region. The UKHSA’s regional teams also have regular contact with Directors of Public Health and local authority public health teams to discuss trends in local data and offer guidance.

Abortion: Safety

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he he has made of the potential effect of at-home abortion on the health and safety of women.

Maggie Throup: We assessed and considered evidence from the responses received through the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of both pills for early medical abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to monitor the wellbeing and safety of women requiring access to abortion services.

Medical Records: Firearms

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the adequacy of provision of IT software to general practitioners to facilitate the placing of markers on the medical notes of those licensed to hold firearms.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is working with the Home Office and NHS Digital to develop a national firearms digital marker for use within general practice. NHS Digital plans to expand existing patient record content with additional markers to indicate whether the patient has applied for or holds a firearms license. These new markers will enhance existing local arrangements and alerting functionality to alert the general practitioner to any medical conditions as part of the license application process or after the license has been granted, which may impact the patient’s suitability to hold a firearms license.

Coronavirus: Patients

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of NHS patients with covid-19.

Maggie Throup: The Government will manage the virus in line with other respiratory illnesses, while aiming to protect those most vulnerable through vaccination and targeted testing. Currently 85.6% of the population aged 12 years old and over has received two doses of vaccine and 67% have received a booster vaccination. On 21 February 2022, the Government accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on offering a further dose to some individuals as part of the spring COVID-19 vaccination programme. The primary aim of the programme is to reduce the risk of severe disease among those deemed most at-risk. A further dose will be offered to adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults and individuals aged 12 years old and over who are immunosuppressed.The Government has also secured a total of 4.98 million courses of oral antiviral treatments. This includes 2.75 million courses of nirmatrelvir + ritonavir (Paxlovid) from Pfizer and 2.23 million patient courses of molnupiravir from Merck Sharp and Dohme. Those whose immune system means they are at higher risk from COVID-19 and who test positive for the virus, can directly access treatments, through new COVID Medicine Delivery Units. These patients will receive either the novel monoclonal antibody sotrovimab or nirmatrelvir + ritonavir. If patients are not able to receive these treatments, they will be offered Remdesivir and then molnupiravir.In addition, oral antiviral treatments are available through the PANORAMIC national study, run by the University of Oxford. This study is open to clinically eligible individuals in the United Kingdom who test positive for the virus.

Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Health Professions

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to improve the education and training of healthcare professionals on endometriosis and PCOS.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to improve the training of primary care practitioners on diagnostic and referral pathways for endometriosis and PCOS.

Maria Caulfield: The training included in undergraduate curricula for healthcare professionals must meet the standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC), which monitors and ensures these standards are maintained. The GMC are introducing the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) which will ensure all United Kingdom medical students have the required core knowledge, skills and behaviour needed to practice safely. The MLA will specify a number of conditions to ensure safe clinical practise, including endometriosis and other gynaecological conditions.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of women who did not have a routine breast cancer screening as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Digital published statistics on breast cancer screening programme in England for 2020/21 on 24 February 2022. In total, 1.19 million women aged 45 years old and over were screened in 2020/21, compared with 2.12 million in 2019/20. This is a decrease of 44.1% or 930,000 women.

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Independent Review

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take in response to the letter to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State from Marie Lyon, Association for Children Damaged By HPT, Kath Sansom, Sling The Mesh, Emma Murphy and Janet Williams, In-Fact, on behalf of people damaged by vaginal mesh, sodium valproate and Primodos on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review 2020 led by Baroness Cumberlege.

Maria Caulfield: The Department’s central correspondence team have no record of receiving this letter. We would be happy to respond formally if the letter could be re-sent to the Department.The Government’s response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review accepted the majority of the nine strategic recommendations and 50 actions for improvement. The recommendations and actions for improvement included vaginal mesh and sodium valproate. We aim to publish an update on implementation of the accepted recommendations in the summer.

Health: Cost of Living

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the increasing cost of living on the health of people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made.

General Practitioners: Telemedicine

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with representatives of mobile operators on zero-rating GP websites to ensure that virtual GP appointments do not rely on internet data plans.

Maria Caulfield: General practices are independent contractors and manage their websites. In March 2020 the Government worked with Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three to secure free online access to the following websites:- NHS.UK;- 111.nhs.uk;- wales.nhs.uk;- nhsinform.scot;- nidirect.gov.uk; and- publichealth.hscni.net. These provisions were temporary and ceased at the end of 2020. There are currently no further plans to zero-rate these or general practice websites.Patient preferences should be taken into account to determine the most appropriate consultation method and online tools must be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels. Patients unable to access video consultations for any reason should therefore be offered an alternative appointment mode.

Health Services: Disadvantaged

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timetable is for the publication of the Health Disparities White Paper.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain MP) on 22 February 2022 to Question PQ125230.

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has had with other Departments since it was formally established in October 2021.

Maria Caulfield: Officials in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities regularly meet with officials in other Government Departments to discuss a wide range of policy issues. We have established the Health Promotion Taskforce to work across Government to address health disparities and prevent ill-health.

Medical Treatments: Negligence

Fay Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of the annual funding for the NHS is allocated to cover the costs associated with negligent medical treatment.

Maria Caulfield: The total cost of clinical negligence claims in England managed by NHS Resolution in 2020/21 was £2.2 billion, which represents approximately 1.5% of the National Health Service resource budget.In January 2022, the Department published a consultation on the introduction of fixed recoverable costs for lower value clinical negligence claims. The proposals aim to address high legal costs and streamline the claims-handling process. The consultation closes on 24 April 2022.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether payments to hosts in the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be treated as income for the purposes of those in receipt of universal credit and other income-related benefits.

David Rutley: The Government is grateful to individuals who wish to play their part in supporting Homes for Ukraine. DWP is working at pace with DLUHC and the Home Office to ensure benefit claimants who feel they can support the scheme are able to do so, and will be no worse off.

Universal Credit: Fraud

Dr Ben Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce levels of fraud and error in universal credit.

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce levels of fraud and error in universal credit.

David Rutley: We take any case of fraud and error extremely seriously and actively pursue fraudsters, using a wide range of powers to bring them to justice.Last Autumn we announced a significant increase in our investment in Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt operations by 75%, up to £1.4bn over the next three years. We are using this to scale up our existing operations, enhance our approach to data and intelligence and set up a new targeted review of the Universal Credit (UC) caseload. This will generate billions of savings over the scorecard period.We published figures in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 that showed the estimated rate of fraud and error in Universal Credit was 14.5%, up from 9.4% in 2019/20.These estimates are based on in depth reviews of a random sample of around 3,000 Universal Credit cases (taken between February and November 2020) to establish the extent of Fraud and Error. The level of fraud and error found in this sample is then applied to the 2020-21 Universal Credit expenditure to give our overall estimate. During the early months of the pandemic we faced unprecedented levels of claims, with 2.4 million new UC claims between 1 March and 26 May 2020. We took a decision to implement easements to ensure we could prioritise payments to those who needed help during this difficult time. This meant that although the overall level of fraud and error in Universal Credit across the year was 14.5%, the subset of claims made after the pandemic started had a level of 25.6%. Claims prior to the pandemic remained at a level of 9.4%. This detailed analysis indicates that the total overpayment for fraud and error for claims from the start of the pandemic (in 2020/21) was £3.1 billion, of which £1.1billion being overpaid due to incorrect information about self-employed income.It is regrettable that people may have sought to exploit the extraordinary circumstances of a global pandemic for gain by not reporting changes in circumstances or even making false claims. This is particularly true for bogus claims orchestrated by organised criminals.During the pandemic, we were able to detect and shut down systematic attacks on the benefit system, including preventing £1.9bn from an attack from Organised Criminals in May 2020. We removed the easements as early as possible from June 2020 and introduced new processes, including a new Enhanced Checking Service created in April 2020, comprising a team of trained investigators who review claims and contact claimants in order to obtain further information or evidence where there is suspected fraud. In total we estimate that we have prevented nearly £3bn of additional fraud and error.Our rigorous checks to prevent fraud are now back in place and the new targeted UC case reviews funded as part of the £1.4bn investment will be focused on relentlessly pursuing and finding incorrect claims and driving out the Fraud and Error. We are determined to combat all attempts at fraud and will not hesitate to pursue those who exploit the system when benefits are there to support those most in need. Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2020 to 2021 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Personal Independence Payment

Dr Ben Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment claims and reviews are processed in a timely manner.

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment claims and reviews are processed in a timely manner.

Chloe Smith: We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. We have seen increasing levels of demand for PIP and are constantly making improvements to our service to ensure claimants get a timely decision. We introduced a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments to deliver a more efficient and user-centred service. We are also increasing case manager and Assessment Provider health professional resource to deal with the increased demand.We are sending new claims to Assessment Providers ahead of award reviews for existing claims, to ensure newly entitled claimants get the support they need. Where possible, decisions on award reviews are made by DWP decision makers without a new referral to an Assessment Provider. Those who do require an assessment are put into a queue until our Assessment Providers have capacity to assess them, and their existing awards are extended where necessary until the review is completed. This ensures that they get the right decision, and that there is no risk of their award ending before they are assessed.

Discretionary Housing Payments

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the change in Discretionary Housing Payments funding between 2021-22 and 2022-23 on (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords.

David Rutley: No such assessment has been made. Discretionary Housing Payments continue to be an important element of an extensive cross-Government housing support package. Since 2011, the government has provided almost £1.5 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase the value in real terms of social security income.

David Rutley: The increase in benefits is linked to the rate of inflation in September 2021 which is published in October. This is the latest figure that the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year. Benefits and pensions will rise by 3.1% in April.

Department for Work and Pensions: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Guy Opperman: The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has for the role of Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders in the future.

Guy Opperman: During 2021 we continually assessed the effectiveness of the Advanced Customer Support Senior Leader (ACSSL) role. It has been demonstrated that ACSSLs are effective in supporting existing DWP Service Lines to assist customers most at risk of harm. Following this work, ACSSLs’ future focus will include their coaching and facilitator role, their work with external agencies, and strengthening the learning they return to the business in real time.

Invalid Vehicles: Finance

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to provide additional financial support to people with a disability vehicle to help them afford the recent increase in the cost of fuel.

Chloe Smith: Whilst the Department works closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme, Motability is an independent charitable organisation wholly responsible for the terms and administration of the Scheme. Claimants on Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment or War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement who are awarded the enhanced or higher rate for mobility can choose to join the Motability Scheme or can choose to spend their benefit however they see fit for their individual circumstances. Disability benefit payments increase annually in April and the rate of increase is linked to the Consumer Price Index.

Paraquat: Export Controls

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the countries which the Health and Safety Executive has approved the export of Paraquat to.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much paraquat was exported from the UK in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021 as recorded by the Health and Safety Executive.

Chloe Smith: Following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) no longer has access to data to give a UK specific figure for the export of paraquat in 2019. However, the European Chemicals Agency provides EU data for 2019 covering an aggregated volume for paraquat and some chloroform, which is available here: Report on exports and imports in 2017 of chemicals listed in Annex I to the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation (europa.eu). HSE’s data, collected annually since 2020, shows that in 2020, exports of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) totalled just over 10 thousand tonnes. The total export of paraquat from GB in 2021 will be published by HSE later this year. Under GB PIC, HSE does not approve the export of paraquat (or any other substance on the PIC list) but administers a system for the notification of exports of chemicals on the PIC list, including paraquat. HSE should be notified of the planned export of paraquat and seek the consent of the importing country. HSE’s data shows that the countries who have given consent to the import of paraquat include Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Japan, Paraguay and the United States.

Household Support Fund

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the Household Support Fund to enable local authorities to support people who are struggling with living costs.

David Rutley: The Household Support Fund covers the period 06 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 inclusive. Other support for those on low incomes will still be available after this point. For example, we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers to £4.25, helping eligible low-income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. In Scotland, similar support is provided through Best Start Foods. We are investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English Local Authorities. We recognise people are facing pressures with the cost of living which is why we are providing support with the cost of living worth over £20 billion across this financial year and next.

Pension Credit: East Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what portion of state pension claimants in East Yorkshire constituency claim pension credit.

Guy Opperman: The latest figures are from August 2021 and show that of the 28,048 of people in receipt of State Pension in East Yorkshire constituency, 3,088 (11 %) are claiming Pension Credit.

Personal Independence Payment: British Nationals Abroad

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Personal Independence Payment recipients had their entitlement withdrawn as a result of being stranded in another country during periods of lockdown in the UK in 2020 and 2021.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance was provided by her Department to personal independence payment recipients who were at risk of losing their entitlement but unable to return to the UK during the periods of national lockdown in 2020 and 2021.

Chloe Smith: Claimants who were abroad and could not return to Great Britain due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 epidemic were advised that they could continue to be paid for as long as those restrictions remained in place. Once travel restrictions were lifted, claimants were expected to return to Great Britain if they wished to continue to receive payments. A digital scan was run to identify claimants who had notified the Department they would be abroad on or after 2nd November 2019, identifying 409 claimants. The claims identified were extended to ensure they did not fall out of payment. Regular tracking of cases was undertaken to check if and when customers had returned to the country. Claims were ended when claimants stated they did not intend to return, and in three cases payment was stopped as no acceptable reason was provided for failure to return. These numbers exclude claimants who failed to inform us that they had left the country because there was no information on the system to track, however guidance stated that once claimants did inform us, payment could be made as long as travel restrictions remained in place. The numbers also exclude individual cases where claimants chose to travel after travel restrictions were lifted, and cases where the daily living component of PIP can remain in payment in the European Economic Area or Switzerland where a relevant EU Regulation applies and they can demonstrate a genuine link to the United Kingdom social security system.

Personal Independence Payment: Older People

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason (a) people over the state pension age who wish to claim Personal Independence Payments (PIP) rather than Attendance Allowance (AA) are not entitled to do so and (b) AA does not include a mobility component as PIP does; and if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people over the state pension age to claim PIP.

Chloe Smith: The aim of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is to focus additional help with the extra costs of disability on people who become severely disabled earlier in life and who, as a consequence, face limited opportunities to work, earn and save compared with other people. Once PIP has been awarded, and subject to the conditions of entitlement continuing to be met, it can continue in payment after reaching State Pension age (SPa), including the mobility component where that was awarded prior to SPa. Attendance Allowance (AA) does not include a mobility component. It is normal for social security schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives, which reflect varying priorities and circumstances. The rules for AA recognise that developing mobility needs is a common and foreseeable feature of the ageing process. We have no plans to review these rules.

Chemicals: Exports

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to UK exporters that are exporting chemicals which are banned for domestic use in the UK.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department collects on the export of pesticides banned for domestic use in the UK; and in what form that data is held.

Chloe Smith: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) administers the Great Britain (GB) Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regime, which regulates the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals from or to GB. Businesses exporting or importing from or to GB are required to provide HSE with data on the export of banned or severely restricted substances on the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) list. This can include substances used as Plant Protection Products (pesticides), Biocidal Products (biocides) or industrial chemicals. A report containing information on the PIC substances exported in 2020 (including pesticides on the PIC list), the destination countries and quantities will be published by HSE shortly. However, it should be noted that many substances have multiple uses and that some substances banned for use as pesticides and/or biocides in GB have legitimate other industrial uses both domestically and in destination countries. HSE will publish a report containing information on the PIC substances exported in 2021 later this year. Guidance for businesses wishing to comply with their legal requirements under GB PIC is available on HSE’s website at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pic/.

Chemicals: Export Controls

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Health and Safety Executive will publish a report on Prior Informed Consent activity for (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.

Chloe Smith: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will publish a report on Prior Informed Consent (PIC) activity in Great Britain for 2020 shortly and will also publish a report for 2021 later this year.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Personal Independence Payment assessments have been carried out by (a) telephone, (b) paper based or (c) face-to-face assessments between (i) November 2021 and January 2022, (ii) August and October 2021, (iii) May and July 2021, (iv) February and April 2021 and (v) February 2020 and January 2021.

Chloe Smith: The information requested can be found in the table below.We have not included February and March 2020 as the data is not available. Therefore, the information provided in the table covers April 2020 to January 2022. Although not included in your question, it may be helpful to know that from autumn 2020, we have also been conducting video assessments, where appropriate, alongside telephone, paper based and face to face assessments. The proportion of video assessments have been included in the table for completeness.   viviiiiii Apr 20 – Jan 21Feb 21 – Apr 21May 21 – Jul 21Aug 21 – Oct 21Nov 21 – Jan 22Paper based review17.4%16.1%17.2%16.3%16.3%Face to face assessment0.0%0.0%0.0%6.8%4.6%Telephone assessment82.5%83.8%82.3%76.3%77.3%Video assessment0.0%0.1%0.4%0.7%1.8%  Please Note: The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is produced by the assessment providers and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards. Some of the monthly totals have been calculated using weekly MI as there is no monthly MI available. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest .1%, therefore percentages may not add to 100%.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are awaiting a review of their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) award after registration; and what the average time taken to review a PIP award is in the most recent period for which data is available.

Chloe Smith: On 31st January 2022 (most recent data available), there were around 220,000 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Award Reviews registered that were awaiting a decision. For PIP Award Review decisions made in January 2022 (most recent data available) the average (median) time from Award Review registration to DWP decision was around 16 weeks. Customers awaiting an assessment to review their PIP will continue to be paid until the review is complete. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, considering the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant. Notes: Data Source: PIP Atomic Data Store (ADS) This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Figures refer to planned PIP Award Reviews, where a claimant has reached their scheduled review date and the Department has sent an AR1 form.The average referred to here is the median. The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value.Processing times have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.The 'Award Review Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' processing time is measured as the average (median) time between the date of Award Review registration and the date of the DWP decision on the outcome of the review.Median processing times are for Award Reviews where a decision was made in January 2022.Processing Time measures do not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during the review or claims that were disallowed by DWP prior to assessment (e.g. for failure to return paperwork).Award reviews that are subsequently cancelled by DWP are excluded from these figures.Figures are for Great Britain only.

Jobcentres: Refugees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to help ensure that every job centre has a staff member trained to support Ukrainian refugees.

Mims Davies: Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches are trained to consider a person's circumstances and to tailor support according to their individual needs. Staff complete claimant awareness training that covers a wide range of claimant circumstances, including that of refugees. In addition to this, staff also have access to information on services and support available in their local area for claimants who are vulnerable or who have complex needs. Communications have been delivered to all sites to ensure our staff are aware of the specific support available for those fleeing conflict in Ukraine and given visas to enter the UK.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Minimum Income Floor on people's ability to establish self-employment.

Mims Davies: No assessment has been made of the impact of the Minimum Income Floor on people’s ability to establish self-employment.The Minimum Income Floor, an assumed level of income, was created to encourage individuals to increase their earnings through developing their self-employment.   The Minimum Income Floor is designed to address flaws in the previous system which allowed self-employed claimants to receive full State support while persistently declaring very low earnings and to prevent people from under-declaring earnings. This situation is unsustainable and unfair on the taxpayer.

Sector-based Work Academy Programme

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sector-based work academies have taken place in each (a) country and (b) region of the UK since that programme began.

Mims Davies: Sector-based Work Academies were first launched in August 2011 in England and January 2012 in Scotland. Regular statistical releases on sector-based work academies, covering participation by those on legacy unemployment benefits, began in 2011 and ended in 2017. These statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employment-schemes-work-experience-sector-based-work-academy-and-skills-conditionality-starts-to-november-2017 The scheme was relaunched as ‘SWAP’ in July 2020 as part of the government’s Plan for Jobs. Data for the financial years 2020/21 and 2021/22 shows that as of 13th March 2022, there was a total of 146,480 starts to a Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP). The breakdown of these starts by nation and region is displayed in the following tables: Table 1: SWAP starts by nation NationStarts FY 2020/21Starts FY 2021/22 – to 13th MarchTotal StartsEngland58,31074,460132,770Scotland6,1207,00013,120Unknown60520580Total64,50081,980146,480 Table 2: SWAP starts by region RegionStarts FY 2020/21Starts FY 2021/22 – to 13th MarchTotal StartsWest Midlands5,0006,92011,920Central, East & North Scotland4,3404,6709,010South & West Scotland1,7802,3304,110London & Essex12,95019,51032,470North & East Midlands7,8009,65017,450North Central6,9608,53015,490North East5,5505,88011,430North West5,3406,62011,960South East8,20010,65018,860South West6,5106,69013,200Unknown60520580Total64,50081,980146,480 Note on above: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; components may not sum due to rounding. These figures reflect the number of starts by claimants in receipt of Universal Credit (UC), Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support (IS).

Home Office

Home Office: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Tom Pursglove: Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of net zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for Government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with other departments (including BEIS, DEFRA and FCDO) to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific Functions and Professions, and will signpost the training and other resources on net zero which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by Government departments.

Home Office: Training

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has implemented a training programme to provide civil servants with skills to support its transition to net zero.

Tom Pursglove: Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of net zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for Government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with other departments (including BEIS, DEFRA and FCDO) to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific Functions and Professions, and will signpost the training and other resources on net zero which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by Government departments.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the cost to residential leaseholders of ensuring tall buildings meet (a) building and (b) fire safety regulations following the Fire Safety Act.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to re-establish biometric service in Afghanistan for those seeking to apply for entry into the UK.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the requirement for Afghan refugees to submit their biometrics before entering the UK, as has been done for those fleeing Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Applications

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the case backlog of visa administrative reviews.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Applications

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of compensating passport holders for lost unexpired time on their passports at renewal.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications were (a) made and (b) approved for Humanitarian Protection Leave under the Refugee or Person in Need of International Protection (Qualification) Regulations 2006 in each year since 2016.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support provided for refugees who have been resettled in the UK from Afghanistan.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Body Searches: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to prohibit strip searches of children.

Rachel Maclean: Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and its use should not be a routine occurrence. Any use of strip search should be carried out in accordance with the law and with full regard for the dignity and welfare of the individual being searched – particularly if the individual being searched is a child. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice govern how the police should deploy this power. If the police judge it operationally necessary to strip search a child, they must do so in the presence of the child’s appropriate adult (unless both the child and appropriate adult consent otherwise) and in line with safeguarding procedures.

Gender Based Violence

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with police representatives on the StreetSafe pilot tool; and what further steps is she taking to raise awareness of that tool.

Rachel Maclean: Just under 14,000 reports have been made on the StreetSafe tool since the pilot began in September 2021, with reports from all jurisdictions in England and Wales, and availability of the tool has been extended post pilot until the end of March 2022. The Home Office is currently working with policing on an evaluation of the pilot, and a decision on the future of the tool will be made shortly.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority: Correspondence

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire plans to respond to correspondence dated 2 February from the Chair of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority regarding funding and community safety.

Kit Malthouse: I apologise for the delay in responding to the important points raised by Cllr John Shuttleworth, on behalf of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority. We recognise the great importance of the effective and timely handling of correspondence. The letter received on 2 February 2022 was not initially accurately recorded by the Home Office correspondence system which led to the undue delay in this circumstance. Processes are being reviewed to ensure this does not happen again. Lord Greenhalgh, Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire has now responded to the letter.

Animal Experiments: Cats

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cats have been used in experiments in Britain in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office annually publishes statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2020. Data relating to the request can be found in tables 1.2. and 1.3.The number of procedures carried out in a year does not equal the number of animals that have been used in procedures that year. This is because there are some intances of multiple procedures on on eanimal. These instances are counted as separate, additional, procedures. As a result, the number of procedures is usually slightly higher than the number of animals used.

Action Fraud

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Action Fraud.

Damian Hinds: Based out of the City of London Police, Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime and works alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau who are responsible for the assessment of the reports.In light of advances in technology and growing demand on the service, as well as reports such as Sir Craig Mackey’s independent review of Action Fraud (https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/assets/About-us/action-fraud-report.pdf), we are working with the City of London Police on plans to refresh and upgrade the current Action Fraud service. We are working to make continuous improvements to the service to make it easier for victims to report fraud, including increasing the number of staff in the call centre.At the same time City of London Police have launched a competitive procurement for a new service, to be operational by 2024. This will improve the service to victims, provide greater intelligence and insight to policing on fraud and cybercrime affecting communities, and allow for greater prevention and disruption at scale.We are spending an additional £400 million over the next three years to tackle economic crime including fraud, which follows the extra £63m investment prioritised in 2021. Some of this funding will be used in the programme to refresh and upgrade the Action Fraud service.

Visas: Russia

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Russian nationals who are holders of tier 1 visas have been identified as having previously been in the Russian armed forces.

Kevin Foster: For all Tier 1 entry clearance applications, applicants were required to confirm if they have had previous employment in the Armed Forces.This data is only captured in a free text field, which would entail a manual trawl of individual records to capture the information requested.

Nowzad: Expenditure

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the evacuation of Nowzad cost the Government in expenditure of time and money.

Kevin Foster: The evacuation from Afghanistan under Operation Pitting from 14 August to 29 August was organised and controlled by the Ministry of Defence.

Visas: Ukraine

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will take steps to ensure a fast track visa process for Ukrainians who have relatives resident in the UK.

Kevin Foster: Applications for the new Ukraine Family Scheme opened on Friday 4 March. Applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme are being prioritised by UKVI, where further information is needed on an application, UKVI will contact the customer as a priority.The Home Secretary announced that from Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.Instead, once their application has been considered and the appropriate checks completed, they will receive direct notification that they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK.Further information can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visas: Ukraine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend visitor visas to Ukranian nationals who are in the UK, and whose visas are due to expire, so that they are not required to return to Ukraine while the conflict is ongoing.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she plans to offer to Ukranian nationals who are in the UK and who cannot return to Ukraine during the ongoing conflict.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has introduced several temporary concessions to support Ukrainian nationals currently in the UK who are now unable to return when their existing visa expires. These concessions will assist Ukrainian nationals in extending their stay in the UK without having to leave and re-apply from overseas.If someone is in the UK on a visitor visa, and cannot return to Ukraine, they can exceptionally apply to switch to another visa route, such as the points-based route or the family visa route. They will need to meet the requirements of that visa route.Further information can be found on the GOV.UK page:UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)All returns activity to Ukraine has been suspended.

Visas: Ukraine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to fast track visas for Ukrainian citizens coming to the UK.

Kevin Foster: Applications for the new Ukraine Family Scheme opened on Friday 4 March. Applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme will be prioritised by UKVI, where further information is needed on an application, UKVI will contact the customer as a priority. Since Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.Instead, once their application has been considered and the appropriate checks completed, they will receive direct notification that they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK.Further information can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refugees: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold a refugee summit to help ensure that all relevant (a) agencies, (b) Government departments and (c) local authorities work together effectively to identify all the accommodation that could be made available for refugees.

Kevin Foster: We already work on a daily basis with local government officials and accommodation providers through our Strategic Migration Partnerships.The purpose of this work is to increase the amount of accommodation which is available to ensure we meet our international and statutory obligations to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees.

Immigration: EEA Nationals and EU Nationals

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of removing the requirement for family members to make an in-person application for EU Settlement Scheme family permits for EU/EEA nationals at UK visa centres in the context of people being unable to safely access those centres in Ukraine.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce an expediated process for family members of EU/EEA Nationals awaiting decisions on applications to the EU Settlement Scheme to match the announced introduction of an expedited decision-making process for family members of UK nationals.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility to apply for EU Settlement Scheme Family Permits to all dependent relatives, including siblings and other family members, where dependency can be demonstrated to the extent that is safely possible.

Kevin Foster: Settled status holders of any nationality, plus EEA and Swiss citizens with EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) pre-settled status based on UK residence before the end of the transition period will be able to sponsor family members under the new Ukraine Family Scheme. There are no plans to change the arrangements for the EUSS or EUSS Family Permit.

Visas: Ukraine

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for family migration visas made in Ukraine have been concluded within 24 hours as of 25 February 2022.

Kevin Foster: Home Office Migration Statistics do not capture the number of applications for family migration visas made in Ukraine concluded within 24 hours. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and would incur disproportionate cost on the department Information on the number of applications currently being processed under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage:Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visas: Ukraine

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to enable the Ukrainian family members of British nationals to obtain family migration visas in the event that they cannot safely reach a Visa Application Centre.

Kevin Foster: While the Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Kyiv and Lviv have had to close in response to the conflict, the Home Office has surged capacity to other countries, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Moldova. We have also established a new pop-up VAC in Rzeszow, Poland.Since Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.The Home Secretary’s statement of 10 March sets out the latest update for the Ukrainian Family Scheme. It can be found on the GOV.UK website: Home Secretary update on support for Ukrainians - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Asylum: Ukraine

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to open safe routes to the UK for non-British and non-Ukrainian nationals fleeing war in Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: The United Kingdom stands firmly with the people of Ukraine.The government has brought forward a bespoke humanitarian support package for the people of Ukraine, having listened carefully to the Ukrainian Government.We have helped hundreds of British nationals and their family members resident in Ukraine to leave the country, with Home Office staff working around the clock to assist them. The Government has established a Ukraine Family Scheme which is fee free and allows British nationals and people settled in the UK to bring extended family members to the UK, covering immediate family members plus parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. Individuals will be granted leave for three years, giving them certainty and securing their future in the country. There is no numerical limit. In addition, the Government has established a humanitarian sponsorship pathway, led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whereby Ukrainians who may not have family ties in the UK can be sponsored to come to the UK by willing and able individuals, businesses, or community organisations. There will be no numerical limit on this scheme, and we will welcome as many Ukrainians as wish to come who have matched sponsors. The Home Office will work closely with international partners on the ground to support displaced Ukrainians in need of a home.Further details can be found at Home Secretary statement on humanitarian support for Ukrainians and the Factsheet: Home Office action on Ukraine - Home Office in the media (blog.gov.uk)

Refugees: Ukraine

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to support transgender and non-binary Ukrainian refugees to find refuge in the UK safely.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she (a) plans to take to support transgender and non-binary Ukrainian refugees overcome barriers preventing them from leaving Ukraine safely and (b) is taking to support transgender and non-binary Ukrainians to seek refuge in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The government has brought forward a bespoke humanitarian support package for the people of Ukraine, having listened carefully to the Ukrainian Government.The Government has established a Ukraine Family Scheme which is fee free and allows British nationals and people settled in the UK to bring extended family members to the UK, covering immediate family members plus parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. Individuals will be granted leave for three years, giving them certainty and securing their future in the country. There is no numerical limit.The Government has established a humanitarian sponsorship pathway, led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whereby Ukrainians who may not have family ties in the UK can be sponsored to come to the UK by willing and able individuals, businesses, or community organisations. There will be no numerical limit on this scheme, and we will welcome as many Ukrainians as wish to come who have matched sponsors. The UK works according to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality which means we do not take into consideration the gender identity of people requiring assistance. No one will be excluded from consideration on the basis of their gender identity.The Home Office will work closely with international partners on the ground to support displaced Ukrainians in need of a home.Further details can be found at Home Secretary statement on humanitarian support for Ukrainians; Apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk); and the Factsheet: Home Office action on Ukraine - Home Office in the media (blog.gov.uk)

Visas: Ukraine

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral statement of 1 March 2022, whether someone living in the UK on a visitor visa who wants to bring an elderly aunt or uncle to the UK from Ukraine would be covered by the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral statement of 1 March 2022, whether a 19 year old from Ukraine seeking to join her aunt and uncle living in the UK would be eligible to apply to the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Kevin Foster: As set out in the Home Secretary’s statement to the House on 1 March, a fee free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme has been introduced. The route allows both the immediate (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) family members to join their relatives in the UK.The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK (including those with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme), a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection, or a person in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU (pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). This route was launched on 4 March.A niece is permitted to join her aunt and uncle in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme if those relatives have the appropriate status to sponsor as a UK-based relative under the scheme.A person who is in the UK as a visitor would not qualify as a UK-based sponsor and would not be covered by the scheme to bring relatives to the UK.We continue to keep the situation in Ukraine under constant review. Further information on the visa process for Ukrainian family members who wish to come to the UK can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk#non-british-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine

Visas: Ukraine

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukraine Family Scheme applications were being processed as of 7 March 2022.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of applications currently being processed under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refugees: Ukraine

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many biometrics appointments are available this week in visa application centres in (a) Poland, (b) Romania and (c) Moldova for Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the number of biometric appointments available this week in visa application centres in (a) Poland, (b) Romania and (c) Moldova for Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has surged capacity to other countries including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Moldova, including a new pop-up VAC in Rzeszow, Poland.The Home Office is deploying more staff to the region this week to support customer queries and bring on board further capacity to facilitate more biometric appointments across the next week.Since Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.This will mean VACs across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports. We have increased the capacity at those Centres to 13,000 appointments per week.The Home Secretary’s statement of 10 March sets out the latest update for the Ukrainian Family Scheme. It can be found on the GOV.UK website: Home Secretary update on support for Ukrainians - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visas: Eastern Europe

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in her Department were working in visa application centres in (a) Poland, (b) Romania and (c) Moldova on (i) 1 February and (ii) 7 March 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has surged capacity to other countries including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Moldova, including a new pop-up VAC in Rzeszow, Poland.The Home Office is deploying more staff to the region this week to support customer queries and bring on board further capacity to facilitate more biometric appointments across the next week Since Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.This will mean VACs across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports. We have increased the capacity at those Centres to 13,000 appointments per week.The Home Secretary’s statement of 10 March sets out the latest update for the Ukrainian Family Scheme. It can be found on the GOV.UK website: Home Secretary update on support for Ukrainians - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125081, on Afghanistan: Refugees, and with reference to the announcement of the opening of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme on 6 January 2022; how many Afghan nationals have been resettled from each of the three referral pathways of that scheme with figures for the number resettled in the UK from (a) within the UK, (b) third party countries and (c) within Afghanistan.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme opened on 6th January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.There are around 6,500 people in the UK who have been brought to safety during and after the evacuation who are eligible for the ACRS through pathway one. The first Afghan families have already been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain under the scheme, and we are planning to have granted Indefinite Leave to the remainder by the end of April.Eligible people who were called forward during the evacuation but were not able to board flights will also be eligible for the ACRS through this pathway.From Spring, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme as part of the second pathway. Those referred by UNHCR will be assessed for resettlement by UNHCR using their established process, and in line with their resettlement submission categories, which include women and girls at risk.The FCDO and Home Office will be jointly leading on pathway three of the ACRS scheme and working in collaboration. We will provide further information in due course.

Home Office: Staff

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in her Department have been surged to visa application centres in the (a) Ukraine region and (b) neighbouring countries to support visa processing.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has surged capacity to other countries including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Moldova, including a new pop-up VAC in Rzeszow, Poland.The Home Office is deploying more staff to the region to support customer queries and bring on board further capacity to facilitate more biometric appointments across the next week. Since Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.This will mean VACs across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports. We have increased the capacity at those Centres to 13,000 appointments per week.The Home Secretary’s statement of 10 March sets out the latest update for the Ukrainian Family Scheme. It can be found on the GOV.UK website: Home Secretary update on support for Ukrainians - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visas: Ukraine

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether UK visa applications agreed for Ukrainian nationals in principle but which could not be collected from the British Embassy in Kyiv before the Russian invasion can be collected from a UK Embassy in another country; whether she is holding discussions with relevant transport operators to ensure that people with positive visa decisions who have not been able to get passports stamped due to violence in Ukraine will be given permission to board (a) flights and (b) other modes of transport to travel to the UK to take up their visas; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to issue electronic documentation to enable people with the right to come to the UK from Ukraine to travel to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: UKVI staff are working with customers and Border Force to facilitate their entry to the UK where we are unable to attach a vignette in their passport.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will expedite the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme for people from (a) the Hararas Muslim community and (b) other minoritised communities.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme commenced on 6th January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.The scheme will prioritise those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups (including ethnic / religious minorities and LGBT+).From Spring 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme, based on assessments of protection need.The UK has a proud track record of helping those who need our protection – and this will continue.

Immigration: Russia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Tier 1 Investor visas and (b) grants of indefinite leave to remain status issued to Russian nationals have been revoked or rescinded.

Kevin Foster: Information relating to revocation of Tier 1 visas and grants of indefinite leave to remain is not captured as part of published data.This data could only be obtained by means of a manual trawl of individual records.

Overseas Students: Ukraine

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue visas for international students who had been living in Ukraine but have had to leave as a result of the Russian invasion of that country.

Kevin Foster: International students studying in or recently displaced from their studies in Ukraine should make contact with the nearest available embassy for their home country in the first instance. Many countries are putting in place measures to evacuate and support their nationals from countries neighbouring Ukraine.The Government will continue to welcome international students to UK universities, where we are proud of our tradition in defending values such as freedom of speech and freedom of publication.The Student visa route remains open to applications for those who wish to study in the UK, and who have been offered a place on a course by a licensed student sponsor and are able to meet the requirements of the route.

Immigration

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what impact provisions in the Nationality and Borders Bill will have on leave to stay in the UK on humanitarian protection grounds.

Tom Pursglove: In February this year during the Committee Stage of the Nationality and Borders Bill in the House of Lords, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar QC confirmed the government’s intention to reform the humanitarian protection route in the UK as part of the Government’s New Plan for Immigration.Clause 29 of the Nationality and Borders Bill revokes the Refugee or Person in Need of International Protection (Qualification) Regulations 2006. Those are the regulations through which we transposed our obligations under the EU Qualification Directive 2004. This has created an opportunity for us to consider the operation of the route. The reformed humanitarian protection route will reflect our current international obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights, in particular Article 2 and Article 3, which the Government is committed to upholding. The entitlements afforded to recipients of humanitarian protection will also be amended to reflect changes being made elsewhere in the asylum system.The reformed humanitarian protection route will also introduce a new form of permission to stay: temporary humanitarian permission to stay. The conditions attached to this grant of permission to stay will be aligned to temporary refugee permission to stay: the form of permission to stay which will be granted to Group 2 refugees.The relevant Immigration Rules and policy guidance will be updated to reflect the changes later this year. These changes may be effected in different stages.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sir Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on ensuring that those who assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan are referred to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of expanding the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy to include applicants who were not directly employed by UK armed forces.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. This includes those who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan, as well as those who are particularly vulnerable, such as women and girls at risk and members of minority groups. The first to be resettled under the new ACRS will be some of those already evacuated and in the UK. They include women’s rights activists, journalists, and prosecutors, as well as the Afghan families of British Nationals. From Spring, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme, based on assessments of protection need. In Year One, we will also resettle individuals who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan, including those British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni who are most at risk. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps. There will not be an application process for the ACRS. More detail on the three referral pathways can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was expanded in December 2021 to accommodate individuals not directly employed by UK armed forces.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing an expedited process for family members of EU/EEA Nationals awaiting decisions on applications to the EU Settlement Scheme to match the announced introduction of an expedited decision-making process for family members of UK nationals.

Kevin Foster: Settled status holders of any nationality and EEA and Swiss citizens with EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) pre-settled status based on UK residence before the end of the transition period will be able to sponsor family members under the new Ukraine Family Scheme.There are no plans to change the arrangements for the EUSS or EUSS Family Permit.

Visas: Army

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to reduce or remove the visa charge for foreign soldiers who have fought for the UK and wish to move to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: The Home Secretary and Defence Secretary announced on 23 February that the Government has decided to waive settlement fees for non-UK personnel in our Armed Forces, who have six years or more reckonable service, or who are discharged due to an illness or injury attributable to their service regardless of the length of their service. These changes are being implemented via an update to the Immigration Fees and Regulations, with the changes coming into effect on 6 April 2022. The Written Statement regarding this policy can be found at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-02-23/hcws624.

Detention Centres: Visits

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many in-person legal visits have taken place at (a) Brook House, (b) Tinsley House, (c) Yarl's Wood, (d) Dungavel, (e) Harmondsworth, (f) Colnbrook and (g) Derwentside immigration removal centres since 13 January 2022.

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women have been moved or released from Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC) since it opened; and how many of those women have (a) been moved to another IRC, (b) been deported, (c) accessed accommodation in the community and (d) had other circumstances.

Tom Pursglove: Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case.Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits. The number of in-person legal visits, which includes both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention, that took place between 13 January and 9 March 2022, is set out in the table below: Immigration Removal CentreNumber of in-person legal advice visits between 13 January 2022 to 9 March 2022 Brook House86Colnbrook31Dungavel0Derwentside1Harmondsworth34Tinsley House0Yarl’s Wood29 This is provisional Home Office management information that has not been assured to the standard of official statistics.The Home Office publishes statistics on immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. This includes data on people:Entering detention by initial place of detention in table Det_02a of the ‘Detention summary tables’.Leaving detention by last place of detention published in table Det_04c of the ‘Detention summary tables’ and by reason for leaving detention in table Det_D03 of the detention detailed datasets.In detention by current place of detention in table Det_03a of the ‘Detention summary tables’. Data on those entering detention, by place of detention, relate to the place of initial detention. An individual who moves from one part of the detention estate to another will not be counted as entering any subsequent place of detention. Last place of detention does not show where an individual spent their time in detention. In some cases, an individual may have spent a period of time detained elsewhere before being moved to their last place of detention.

Visas: Ukraine

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will limit practical barriers to Ukrainian refugees applying for a visa overseas by waiving the requirement to provide biometric data at a visa application centre.

Kevin Foster: The Home Secretary updated Parliament on 10 March about the government's support for people fleeing Ukraine, including the need to visit a visa application centre to provide biometric data:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-update-on-support-for-ukrainians

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the international partners and NGOs that her Department plans to work with to welcome wider groups of Afghans via the third pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme commenced on 6 January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.The scheme prioritises those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups (including ethnic / religious minorities and LGBT+).In the first year of this third referral pathway, the Government will offer ACRS places to the most at risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.We committed to working with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk beyond year one.We will provide further information in due course.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish further details on the referral criteria for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme's third pathway beyond year one.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme commenced on 6 January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.The scheme prioritises those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups (including ethnic / religious minorities and LGBT+).In the first year of this third referral pathway, the Government will offer ACRS places to the most at risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.We committed to working with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk beyond year one.We will provide further information in due course.

Application Registration Card

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the (a) waiting times for an Application registration card (ARC) for unaccompanied minors to be issued and (b) average number of days taken to process ARC cards for unaccompanied minors in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Foster: An Application Registration Card (ARC) is produced as a routine part of the registration process for asylum applicants, and is not an immigration product in its own right which people apply for. The system will produce and deliver an ARC within three days of the asylum screening taking place. ARC figures broken down as requested are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Refugees: Ukraine

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what specific discussions she has had with her French counterpart on steps taken by the UK Government to support refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: The UK Government maintains regular contact with the Government of France at ministerial and official level. The Home Secretary is in regular contact with the French Interior Minister Darmanin.

Asylum: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were accommodated by her Department without a local authority assuming responsibility for them (a) from 14 July 2021 to 22 November 2021 and (b) from 23 November 2021 to present.

Kevin Foster: The number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children accommodated by the Home Office without a local authority assuming responsibility for them from 14 July 2021 to 22 November 2021 was 890.The corresponding figure for the period from 23 November 2021 to 22 February 2022 was 361.The figures are based on local management information and are subject to change.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Vetting

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what safeguarding mechanisms his Department has put in place for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: The Home Office will conduct checks as part of the visa issue process.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Homes for Afghans plan, integrated with the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Our work on the new Homes for Ukraine scheme has been informed by our experience gained from work undertaken to support those entering the country from Afghanistan and indeed from Syria.My Department is continuously reviewing the Afghan resettlement response and will consider if there are measures from the Homes for Ukraine scheme that would be applicable to other groups.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support his Department has made available to local authorities in connection with the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: I refer the Hon Member to the guidance for local authorities available online at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.

Refugees: Ukraine

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government plans to make assistance with travel to UK available for refugees from Ukraine who successfully acquire a visa and match with a host under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Ukrainian beneficiaries will be eligible for a single onward journey via national rail, light rail, bus and coach, free of charge to their final destination in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities on the Homes for Ukraine programme.

Eddie Hughes: Ministers and officials are in regular discussions with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Refugees: Ukraine

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support the needs of elderly Ukrainian refugees.

Eddie Hughes: All Ukrainian beneficiaries will be granted leave to remain in the UK for 3 years. They will be able to access benefits and public services in accordance with their needs, including healthcare. The Government is working to ensure appropriate support is in place.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Eddie Hughes: The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys of 13 December 2021 regarding a constituent and valid forms of identification for voting under the Elections Bill.

Kemi Badenoch: A response to my Hon Friend's letter has been issued.

Council Tax: Energy Bills Rebate

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of awarding eligible households in receipt of Local Council Tax Support, who do not pay council tax via direct debit, their £150 energy rebate payments automatically.

Kemi Badenoch: Councils cannot make automatic payments where they do not hold bank details for households. This is particularly likely to be the case where households receive council tax support and may have no little or no council tax liability. Eligible households that are in receipt of council tax support will however be able to receive payments in the same way as other eligible households. Our FAQs include information on flexible payment options for households in different circumstances, which balance administrative ease and accessibility with the need to manage fraud risk.

Council Tax: Energy Bills Rebate

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in respect of the £150 energy rebate scheme, what assessment he has made of the impact that administering rebates will have on local authorities in terms of (a) staffing resource and (b) finances.

Kemi Badenoch: My Department is working with local government representatives to assess the New Burdens costs arising from the range of activities that councils need to undertake to administer the council tax rebate. This includes the costs of recruiting any necessary additional staffing resource.

Council Tax: Energy Bills Rebate

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that all people who are eligible for the £150 council tax energy rebate but who do not pay their council tax by direct debit will receive that payment.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to provide additional support to local authorities to ensure that eligible households who do not pay council tax via direct debit receive the £150 council tax energy rebate.

Kemi Badenoch: My Department has issued FAQs to help local authorities administer the council tax rebate. These include information on flexible payment options for households in different circumstances, which balance administrative ease and accessibility with the need to manage fraud risk.

Railways: Radlett

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2022 to Question 133334, and notwithstanding the fact the St Albans District Council is developing a local plan, if his Department will hold discussions with Hertfordshire County Council on the potential merits of disposal of the land that the County Council owns at Radlett being developed to support the delivery of community initiatives or facilitate local regeneration, instead of the construction of a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange which was approved by the Secretary of State for Housing in 2014 as a strategic infrastructure project, and cannot therefore be included in the local plan for any other purpose.

Stuart Andrew: Due to the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in the planning system, it would not be appropriate for me to hold a meeting with Hertfordshire County Council to discuss the details of this specific site, particularly when a local plan is currently being prepared for that area.

Rents: Arrears

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will enable local authorities to roll-over unspent funding from the £65 million support package for vulnerable renters announced on 23 October 2021 into 2022-23 to enable them to continue to meet the ongoing needs of renters in arrears and facing eviction as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Eddie Hughes: The Government announced £65 million funding in October 2021 to help prevent renters with COVID related arrears in England from becoming homeless. This was provided to meet the pressures that local authorities faced this financial year (2021/22).   We will be providing a further £315.8 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2022/2023. This can be used flexibly for local authorities to meet homelessness and rough sleeping strategies – for example, to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions or to provide temporary accommodation, among other preventative measures. Local authorities were informed of their allocations in December 2021 and this funding this will be provided to local authorities in the new financial year.   In addition, and to prevent households falling into arrears in the first place, we are providing support with the cost of living worth over £20 billion across this financial year and next. This includes significant financial support through the Energy Bills Rebate to support households with rising energy costs, reducing the Universal Credit taper rate, maintaining the increase to Local Housing Allowance rates in cash terms this year, and the Household Support Fund which provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. Discretionary Housing Payments are also available to help those who need extra support with housing costs.

Royal National Institute of Blind People

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he next plans to meet representatives of the RNIB; and on how many occasions he has done so in each of the last three years.

Kemi Badenoch: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 136582 on 14 March 2022.

Regional Planning and Development: Advertising

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the Government's advertising budget is for levelling up in financial year 2021-22; and if he will publish a breakdown of spending by region.

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much the Government has spent on levelling up adverts (a) on billboards, (b) in newspapers and (c) on digital channels in financial year 2021-22.

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much has been spent on levelling up advertisements in the West Midlands region as of 14 March 2022.

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who the advertising agency is for Government advertisements relating to its levelling up agenda.

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what fees have been paid to advertising agencies for work on levelling up advertisements in financial year 2021-22.

Eddie Hughes: Spend on campaigns and their providers is published regularly on the Gov.uk.

Northern Ireland Office

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of offering in-country applications in Northern Ireland for the Homes for Ukraine scheme to Ukrainian nationals entering Northern Ireland via the Republic of Ireland.

Conor Burns: The situation in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis and the Government is taking steps to support Ukrainians seeking safe passage and sanctuary in the UK, including through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Those arriving under this scheme will be granted three years leave to remain, and the Government is using a variety of channels and working with stakeholders to communicate the steps that Ukrainians wishing to participate in the scheme would need to take.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to make a direction on commissioning of abortion services in Northern Ireland prior to the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 24 March 2022.

Brandon Lewis: The delay in the implementation of abortion services in Northern Ireland is entirely unacceptable. Parliament has decided that women should have access to these services and this decision must be respected.I am therefore considering all options available to the Government in order to resolve this situation and ensure the women and girls in Northern Ireland can access basic healthcare services, as is their right.

Treasury

Coking Coal: Russia

Lee Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the UK last received a shipment of coking coal from Russian producers; and when the next shipment is planned.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website: www.uktradeinfo.com. From this website, it is also possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/. It is not possible for HMRC to identify the country of production of goods from the data held. The last recorded import of commodity code 2701 1210 00 (coking coal) from Russia to the UK had a clearance date of 25 January 2022.HMRC does not have details of any planned shipments of coking coal from Russia.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Simon Hoare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information he holds on the (a) volume and (b) value of trade in goods between (i) Great Britain and Northern Ireland and (ii) Northern Ireland and Great Britain in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website: www.uktradeinfo.com. From this website, it is also possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/.Prior to 2021, HMRC has not collected data on movements of goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain as these are internal UK movements, and so not part of international trade.HMRC is in the process of reviewing data available, including declarations lodged by traders on goods movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, and will set out its approach in due course.Under unfettered access, traders do not make declarations except in very limited circumstances on goods moved directly from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. This data is not sufficient to provide an estimate of overall trade.

Patriotic Millionaires

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with Patriotic Millionaires UK on raising taxes from its members.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has received representations from Patriotic Millionaires UK and appreciates their continued engagement on this important issue. The Government is committed to a fair tax system in which those with the most contribute the most. For example, the UK’s progressive Income Tax system means the top 1 per cent of income taxpayers are projected to pay 28 per cent of all Income Tax, and the top 5 per cent are projected to pay 49 per cent in 2021-22. The UK does not have a wealth tax, but it does have several different taxes on assets and wealth. The UK taxes assets and wealth across many different transactions, including the acquisition, holding, transfer, and the disposal of assets, as well as taxing the income derived from holding assets. In 2020, The Wealth Tax Commission, which has no connection or link to the Government, found that if considering Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duty, and Stamp Duty Land Tax, the UK is among the top of the G7 countries for wealth taxes as a percentage of total wealth. It is also the case that any individual or private business wishing to make a greater contribution to the Exchequer can make voluntary payments to HMRC. More information about how to do so is available on GOV.UK.

Corporation Tax

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department’s ready reckoner estimate is of the effects on tax receipts of a one percentage point increase in the rate of ring fence corporation tax in financial years (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25; and if he will place a copy of those estimates in the Library.

Lucy Frazer: The Government does not typically provide assessments of changes to ring fence Corporation Tax and does not propose doing so in this case. The Government places additional taxes on the extraction of oil and gas, with companies engaged in the production of oil and gas on the UK Continental Shelf subject to headline tax rates on their profits that are currently more than double those paid by other businesses. To date, the sector has paid more than £375 billion in production taxes. The Government keeps all taxes under review, and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.

Income Tax: Repayments

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many income tax refunds were paid directly to third party agents instead of taxpayers in accordance with a deed or letter of assignment; and what the total value of those refunds was in each of the financial years (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20, (c) 2020-21 and (d) 2021-22 to date.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many deeds or letters of assignment have been sent to HMRC to be lodged on taxpayer records in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22 to date; how many of those deeds or letters of assignment have been passed to HMRC's Solicitor's Office and Legal Services to check for validity; and how many were subsequently rejected as invalid.

Lucy Frazer: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained, compiled, and collated at a disproportionate cost.

Procurement: Taxation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the context of increases in the cost of living, if he will introduce a windfall tax on the companies that made profits from Government contracts relating to the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the context of increases in the cost of living, if he will introduce a windfall tax on arms and defence companies.

Lucy Frazer: The Government recognises the challenges many are facing with pressures on household budgets. We are providing support worth over £20 billion across this financial year and next that will help families with the cost of living. This includes cutting the Universal Credit taper rate and increasing work allowances to make sure work pays, freezing alcohol and fuel duties to keep costs down, as well as the £9.1 billion package announced in February 2022 to help households with rising energy bills. At Spring Budget 2021, the Chancellor announced an increase in the Corporation Tax rate, from 19 per cent to 25 per cent, from 2023 onwards. This will, by definition, only apply to companies that are making profits and will ensure that profitable businesses contribute their fair share in the task of restoring the public finances to a sustainable footing. The Government keeps the UK tax system under constant review to ensure that it provides a fair and sustainable basis for funding for our vital public services.

Debts: Ukraine

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of level of debt repayments owed by Ukraine to UK-based bondholders.

John Glen: According to the IMF’s latest country report for Ukraine in November 2021, Ukraine owes bondholders USD$ 24.8 billion, with debt repayments in 2022 amounting to USD$ 2.51 billion. Based on the most recently available IMF data, UK holdings of Ukrainian debt securities amounted to USD$ 1.43 billion in June 2021. This accounted for 5.5% of the total value of foreign-owned Ukrainian debt securities, as reported by IMF’s Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey. However, bonds are tradeable instruments meaning holders of these bonds can fluctuate on a regular basis.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the change in the number of free to use ATMs between 1 January 2021 and 1 January 2022.

John Glen: LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK. As of January 2022, LINK reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the break down by constituency. More broadly, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) publishes data on access to cash coverage across the UK. As of the third quarter of 2021, the FCA reported that nearly 96% of the UK population are within 2km of a free-to-use cash access point. The government recognises that the ability to access to cash remains important to millions of people across the UK and has committed to legislating to protect access to cash. Last year, the Government held an Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The Government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The Government will set out next steps in due course.

Debts: Ukraine

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to assist Ukraine with debt repayments.

John Glen: The Chancellor continues to engage with G7 partners and International Financial Institutions on progressing current and future support to Ukraine. This includes a G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting held on 1 March with the Ukrainian Finance Minister. Alongside our allies, we’ve hit Russia with the most severe package of sanctions it has ever seen and our economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine now totals around £400 million. This includes USD$100 million of funding to Ukraine through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund and that we stand ready to provide USD$500 million in loan guarantees to support Multilateral Development Bank lending. This support has also enabled a package to be agreed on 8 March of over $700m for direct fiscal support to Ukraine via the World Bank, to help mitigate direct economic impacts.

Cider: Excise Duties

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the classification of flavoured cider being classified as wine; what comparative assessment his Department has made of the impact on cider breweries in relation to 4 per cent ABV flavoured cider, which has a duty charge of approximately 90p/litre, compared with the standard rate of cider which is approximately 40p/litre; and if he will make it his policy to classify flavoured cider as standard cider.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the increased excise duty rates for ciders above 4.6 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV) on breweries that produce cider above 4.6 per cent ABV in relation to (a) the need to change recipes, labels and point of sale materials and (b) the costs involved to change to 4.8 per cent ABV; and if he will make it his policy not to increase excise duty on ciders below 5.6 per cent ABV.

Helen Whately: At Autumn Budget 2021, the Chancellor announced a number of reforms to modernise and improve the tax system for cider from February 2023. As part of this, the Government intends to move to a taxation system which taxes cider on the basis of its alcohol content. This will result in higher strength ciders – which are currently undertaxed – paying duty in proportion to strength. The Treasury considers the impact this will have on business decision-making difficult to estimate, as different businesses will have different business models. We will continue to engage with industry as our review progresses and value feedback on this point. Regarding flavoured ciders, the Government has decided to keep the existing cider category and its substantially lower rate to remain focused on traditional cider, recognising the part cider producers play in local economies and the cultural value attached to cider. Therefore, there are no plans to equalise flavoured and non-flavoured cider duty rates at this stage. Further detail about the impact of our alcohol duty reforms on cidermakers, including breweries that produce cider, will be included in a tax information and impact note when the policy is final, or near final, in the usual way.

Treasury: Remote Working

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on his Department’s carbon footprint.

Helen Whately: The Treasury reports on its progress against the Greening Government Commitments, which includes greenhouse gas emissions, in its annual report and accounts.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Greg Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total revenue received to HM Treasury was from VAT on sales of petrol and diesel in the calendar month of February for each of the past 10 years.

Helen Whately: The information is not available. HMRC does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

Economic Growth: Newport West

Ruth Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting economic growth in Newport West constituency.

Helen Whately: The Chancellor regularly meets with his Cabinet colleagues to discuss economic growth across the UK. As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, published in February, the Government is committed to levelling up every part of the UK, including Newport West. Additionally, the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 provided both UK-wide support and targeted funding to meet local economic needs. It also provided the Welsh Government with an additional £2.5 billion per year on average through the Barnett formula over the Spending Review 2021 period, on top of its annual baseline funding of £15.9 billion, to enable further locally targeted investments.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Greg Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total revenue received by the Exchequer from fuel duty was in each of the last five years.

Helen Whately: During the previous five calendar years, the following amounts of revenue have been received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from Fuel Duty (also referred to as hydrocarbon oils): 2017: £27,974 million2018: £27,929 million2019: £27,796 million2020: £22,646 million2021: £24,828 million [provisional]

Fuels: Excise Duties

Greg Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the projected revenue from fuel duty is for the 2021-22 financial year.

Helen Whately: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) latest update of its forecast was published on 27 October 2021 in the October 2021 Economic and fiscal outlook (EFO). It was forecast that fuel duty revenues would amount to £26.8 billion in 2021-22. The full EFO is available to view here: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2021/

Energy Bills Rebate

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that people on a sub-meter receive the Government's energy rebate.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that people on a sub-meter are not required to pay back an energy rebate that they did not receive in the event that they move to another property.

Helen Whately: The Government is providing a £200 reduction on bills from October for all households in Great Britain with a domestic electricity meter, to reduce pressure on energy bills this year when global gas prices are high.There will be cases where changes in people’s personal circumstances at the time mean they may not directly be the recipient of the reduction, but still see increases in future bills. The Government will look at these issues further through a public consultation run by the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in the spring, but to spread the cost of the reduction as widely as possible, all domestic energy consumers are expected to contribute to future repayments.

Treasury: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to measure its carbon footprint.

Helen Whately: The Treasury is committed to promoting and embedding sustainability through its policy development, its work with other government Departments and its own operations. This includes implementing the Greening Government Commitments, along with other departments and arms length bodies. The Treasury reports on progress against the Greening Government targets in its annual report and accounts.

Fuels: Prices

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support (a) care workers and (b) other workers in low paid sectors with the recent increase in the cost of fuel.

Helen Whately: In recognition of high prices at the pump and the fact that fuel represents a major cost for households and businesses, the Chancellor announced at the Autumn Budget 2021 that fuel duty would remain frozen for a twelfth consecutive year. This benefits consumers across the UK, and represents savings worth almost £8 billion over the next five years. More widely, the Government is providing over £20 billion this financial year and next to help families, which also includes cutting the Universal Credit taper rate, freezing alcohol duty, and helping households with their energy bills through our £9.1 billion Energy Bills Rebate.

Treasury: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Helen Whately: The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Car Allowances

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the HMRC approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates for workers required to use vehicles for work journeys in the context of increases in (a) the cost of petrol and diesel prices and (b) total motoring costs since rates were last reviewed in 2011-12.

Helen Whately: The Government sets the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) rates to minimise administrative burdens. Employers are not required to use the AMAPs rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising. Alternatively, they can choose to pay a different mileage rate that better reflects their employees’ circumstances. However, if the payment exceeds the amount due under AMAPs, and this results in a profit for the individual, they will be liable to pay Income Tax and National Insurance contributions on the difference. The Government keeps this policy under review.

Car Allowances

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the amount that employees can claim in fuel costs per mile in tax relief from 45p in the context of the recent increase in fuel costs.

Helen Whately: The Government sets the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) rates to minimise administrative burdens. Organisations are not required to use the AMAPs rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising. Alternatively, they can choose to pay a different mileage rate that better reflects their employees’ circumstances. However, if the payment exceeds the amount due under AMAPs, and this results in a profit for the individual, they will be liable to pay Income Tax and National Insurance contributions on the difference. The Government keeps this policy under review.

Income Support

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the context of increases to the cost of living, if he will introduce a new minimum income guarantee.

Mr Simon Clarke: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 15 March to PQ UIN 136596.

Cost of Living

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Resolution Foundation of 14 March 2022 that rising food and energy prices mean inflation could reach over ten per cent for the poorest decile of households in 2022.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government recognises the challenge that many are facing with the cost of living and is committed to supporting all groups in society, including those on the lowest incomes. This is why the Government has announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23. This includes a £200 discount on their energy bill this Autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain, a £150 non-repayable rebate in Council Tax bills for all households in Bands A-D in England and a £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax rebate. This is on top of existing support for households with the cost of energy bills, such as the Warm Home Discount, the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payment. It also builds on the £500m Household Support Fund, which is helping vulnerable households with the cost of essentials such as food, clothing and utilities. This is in addition to helping people get into work and progress through the Plan for Jobs, and increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Government Assistance

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support grassroots sport.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and all generations and communities should be able to enjoy the health, wellbeing, social and other benefits of being active.Since the government launched its sports strategy, Sporting Future in 2015, we have achieved a huge amount. Sport England has allocated over £1.5 billion to nearly 5,000 grassroots organisations across the UK. Sport England has also published its new ten year strategy which focuses on driving up activity levels and helping to improve physical and mental health.In 2020 alone, Sport England distributed over £340 million of Exchequer and Lottery funding to support the development of grassroots sport in England, in addition to £100 million through the National Leisure Recovery Fund.The Prime Minister has committed to delivering the grassroots pitches every community needs and this has already resulted in an investment of £25 million by the government to upgrade and improve facilities across the UK this year. At the Spending Review, a further £205 million was pledged over the next three years, targeted at the communities most in need, with the aim of increasing participation in sport among under-represented groups, as part of the government’s levelling up plans. This was in addition to a £30 million package to renovate 4,500 park tennis courts across the country.

Internet: Safety

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what measures the Online Safety Bill contains to ensure that legal but harmful online content cannot be accessed through Virtual Private Networks.

Chris Philp: Under the Online Safety Bill, tech companies will have to put in place proportionate and effective systems and processes to protect children from harmful content.Legislation will not require the removal of legal but harmful content accessed by adults. The biggest tech companies will be held to account for the consistent enforcement of their terms and conditions.The onus will be on companies to ensure that their systems are sufficiently effective. Ofcom will be able to take robust enforcement action against companies that fail to fulfil their duties to keep children safe.

Internet: Safety

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the security of the technology underpinning the proposals for verification for accessing adult content in the Online Safety Bill.

Chris Philp: Age verification technologies are well established and are widely used across a number of sectors, including online gambling. They are proven to be able to verify a user’s age whilst protecting both their privacy and data. This government takes the issue of data privacy and security extremely seriously and that is why safeguards for users’ privacy are included in the Online Safety Bill. Furthermore, the Data Protection Act 2018 sets high standards of data protection and security and includes strong sanctions for malpractice. This will apply to age verification technologies. Both services in-scope of online safety regulation and age verification providers must comply with data protection laws or face enforcement action from the Information Commissioner’s Office.Many third party age verification solutions provide an anonymised yes/no answer to the question of whether a user is over 18. This can remove the need for a service to process a user’s personal data.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Remote Working

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on her Department’s carbon footprint.

Julia Lopez: DCMS monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to measure its carbon footprint.

Julia Lopez: All Departments are required to measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions quarterly as part of the Greening Government Commitments. Departmental emissions, and their progress against emissions reductions targets, are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.Departments may also publish their greenhouse gas emissions data as part of their own Annual Report and Accounts.

Rented Housing: Broadband

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all landlords sign a wayleave for their properties to allow the installation of fibre for broadband by the end of 2024-25.

Julia Lopez: In my response to question 138959, I expressed my view on the critical role that landlords play in enabling access to full fibre broadband. I also set out the measures DCMS is taking to ensure landlords understand that role, as well as ways the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act will help address situations where landlords do not engage with requests for wayleaves.Additional measures in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill are intended to encourage more collaborative negotiations and faster dispute resolution in relation to requests for rights to install telecommunications apparatus.This should lead to better engagement from landlords, meaning that more tenants across the country can benefit from fibre broadband. This will support our ambition for a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage across the UK by 2025.

Football: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with representatives of the Professional Football Association on the support and care required by former footballers affected by Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Nigel Huddleston: My Department has discussed a range of issues with the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), including around instances of concussion and brain injury within football.On 10 December 2021 we published our report on Concussion in Sport. It outlines the steps the government will be taking to help reduce risks associated with head injuries by improving understanding, awareness, prevention and treatment of concussion in sport.We are now working to develop a single set of shared protocols across the UK on concussion, and convening a new sports concussion research forum to identify the research questions that need answering in this important area.On 14 March 2022, the Department for Health and Social Care launched a Call for Evidence to inform the development of the government’s Acquired Brain Injury Strategy. More information on the Call for Evidence can be found here.The Government remains committed to working with sports stakeholders, including the PFA, to build on the positive work on concussion and brain injury that is already taking place to mitigate the causes and effects of concussion in sport.

Football Governance Fan-led Review

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to implement the (a) fit and proper persons test and (b) all other recommendations of the fan-led review of football published on 24 November 2021.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations of the Fan led Review of Football Governance; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: The final findings and recommendations of the Fan Led Review were published on 24 November 2021. The Government is working at pace to consider the recommendations, including those made on enhancing the existing owners’ and directors’ test, and to determine the most effective way to deliver an independent regulator.The Secretary of State committed to Parliament on 3 March to bring forward our response as soon as possible. We will issue a formal response in the coming weeks.

Swimming Pools

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she had made of the number of swimming pools with public access in (a) Portsmouth, (b) the South East and (c) England.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to increase the number of swimming pools with public access in (a) Portsmouth, (b) the South East and (c) England.

Nigel Huddleston: We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to indoor and outdoor pools and that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy.There are an estimated 4291 publicly accessible swimming pools in England, with 855 in the South East and 14 in Portsmouth.Sport England have awarded £25,753,616 to swimming and diving projects since January 2017, which includes £16,149,002 of funding directly to Swim England. The responsibility of providing access to swimming pools lies at Local Authority level, and the government continues to encourage Local Authorities to invest in swimming facilities.

Chelsea Football Club: Tickets

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will amend the terms of the special license granted to Chelsea Football Club to allow match ticket sales to supporters.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in the context of sanctions imposed by the Government on Roman Abramovich, whether the Big Stamford Bridge Sleep Out 2022 can go ahead.

Nigel Huddleston: We have been clear that we would speak with Chelsea to understand what is needed to allow upcoming games to be played to minimise the impact on the Leagues, other competitions, the wider football pyramid and fans. These conversations are ongoing. The continuance of activities at Stamford Bridge not covered by the licence would be for the stadium management to confirm.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Directors: Sanctions

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward proposals to strike off company directors who have been subject to economic sanctions.

Paul Scully: In the Corporate Transparency and Register Reform White Paper published on 28 February 2022, the Government confirmed that it will introduce measures to void the appointment, and prevent the registration, of individuals acting as directors where they are subject to sanctions by virtue of being ‘designated persons’ under section 9 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. The Government has committed to legislating on economic crime in the next session of this parliament.

Limited Liability and Scottish Limited Partnerships: Russia

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) Scottish Limited Partnerships and (b) Limited Partnerships that have links to the Russian regime.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential national security risks linked to the abuse of (a) Scottish Limited Partnerships and (b) Limited Partnerships.

Paul Scully: The Government does not comment on the manner in which it monitors the activities of those who are, or may be, associated with hostile regimes. I would, however, like to assure the hon. Member that BEIS is working closely across Government to identify and mitigate any national security risks which might emanate from Russian activity in the UK.

Biomethane: Production

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to increase biomethane production as part of efforts to improve the UK's energy security.

Greg Hands: The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) launched on 30 November 2021 and supports biomethane production and injection into the gas grid. The scheme is open for four years and producers will receive tariff payments for a 15-year period. Increasing the amount of biomethane into the grid will contribute to a circular economy, carbon savings, and domestic energy production. We estimate that during the years of peak production, the GGSS could deliver annual generation of 2.8TWh of renewable heat. This will be enough to heat around 200,000 homes.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Fay Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made in distribution of the £1.6 billion of funding as part of the Home Upgrade Scheme and Social Housing Decarbonisation Scheme.

Greg Hands: The Government is investing £6.6 billion in this Parliament to decarbonise buildings, of which over £2 billion is aimed specifically at lower-income households, helping people save money on their energy bills. The total committed funding to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, to date, is just over £1 billion, representing a significant investment in driving the decarbonisation agenda. £240 million has been awarded to Registered Providers of social housing through the Demonstrator and Wave 1, delivering energy efficiency upgrades to Social Homes currently below EPC C from 2022 to 2023. As confirmed in the 2021 spending review settlement, £800 million has been committed for Wave 2 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (FY22/23 –24/25). The competition window is currently planned to open in late summer 2022. The Government has allocated £1.1 billion to the Home Upgrade Grant since 2020. £219 million has been awarded to local authorities to deliver energy efficiency upgrades to low-income, off-gas grid, households by March 2023. BEIS is working across government and with key stakeholders to decide the final policy scope and delivery approach for future Home Upgrade Grant funding iterations until 2025.

Working Hours

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a four day working week.

Paul Scully: The Government does not believe there can be a ‘one size fits all’ approach to work arrangements. That is why we put individual agency and choice at the heart of our consultation on “making flexible working the default”, which closed on 1st December 2021. We are currently reviewing the responses and will respond in due course.

Unpaid Work

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will hold discussions with business representatives on ensuring that they do not (a) advertise and (b) use unpaid work trials as part of a recruitment process.

Paul Scully: Unpaid work trials can play an important role in helping people into work opportunities, however they are not permissible if they are excessive or not part of a genuine recruitment process. Following consultation with representatives of workers and employers, the Government updated the Calculating the Minimum Wage guidance to clarify this:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/calculating-the-minimum-wage. HM Revenue and Customs and BEIS speak regularly to businesses, reminding them of their responsibilities.

Unpaid Work

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with (a) trade unions and (b) employees on the potential merits of banning the use of unpaid work trials at the outset of employment.

Paul Scully: The Government regularly speaks to stakeholders including trade unions, on a wide range of employment issues. If someone has undertaken an unpaid work trial and thinks they should have been paid NMW, they can call the ACAS helpline or use the online helpline tool for free, confidential advice about their rights and entitlements. If they want to make a complaint through HMRC, they can do so in complete confidence. Unpaid work trials that are exploitative are already against the law. When recruiting, an employer can ask an individual to carry out a short unpaid work trial to demonstrate that they have the skills required for the job. But if a work trial is excessively long, or not part of a genuine recruitment purpose, employers must pay participants at least the legal minimum wage.

Research: Russia

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 134378 on Nuclear Weapons: Russia, when the Government plans to publish an update on UKRI funding to research projects with Russian collaboration.

George Freeman: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 9 March 2022 to Question 134378.

Business: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Department will publish the businesses that received loans under the (a) Covid Business Interruption Loans Scheme, (b) Covid Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and (c) Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Paul Scully: Some information about loans accessed through the Government’s Covid-19 loan guarantee schemes are made available on the European Commission State Aid Transparency Database and the UK Subsidy Transparency Database, where required to ensure compliance with EU and international law.

Business: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what legal restrictions there are on his Department in publishing the businesses that received loans under the (a) Covid Business Interruption Loans Scheme, (b) Covid Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and (c) Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Paul Scully: Some information about loans accessed through the Government’s Covid-19 loan guarantee schemes are made available on the European Commission State Aid Transparency Database and the UK Subsidy Transparency Database, where required to ensure compliance with EU and international law. A variety of complex legal, contractual and commercial considerations apply in relation to any additional release of loan recipient data.

Products: Russia

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to take steps to help consumers obtain information on whether products that they purchase have contributed to the Russian economy, either directly or through a third party.

Paul Scully: The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require traders to provide consumers with specified pre-purchase information including information about the main characteristics of goods, services or digital content but this does not necessarily include the country of origin.Consumers are free to enquire from the seller as to the origin of products, and to base their decision of whether or not to purchase on the reply. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs), traders are banned from giving consumers false information or using misleading statements or presentation about the geographical or commercial origin of products including in response to requests for information by consumers. The Regulations carry criminal penalties and are enforced by local trading standards officers.

Service Industries: Sales Promotions

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of putting in place additional protective measures to those committing to free online trial periods of services before contracted payment commences.

Paul Scully: We consulted last year on proposals to improve consumer safeguards when purchasing online subscriptions as part of our wider package of reforms to competition and consumer law. Alongside the consultation we published an impact assessment of these proposals: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-competition-and-consumer-policy. We are considering responses to the consultation and will publish our response shortly.

Companies: Fraud

Fay Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent fraudulent registration of addresses with Companies House.

Paul Scully: At present the Registrar has the power to remove certain information from the register, but she must follow a statutory process before doing so. Upon receipt of supporting evidence, showing rights to an address the Registrar can assist by replacing an erroneous registered office address with a Companies House default address on the public register. On 28 February 2022 Government published a detailed White Paper (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporate-transparency-and-register-reform) setting out far-reaching reforms to Companies House. It is intended that, following enactment, the Registrar will have new powers to challenge information that appears dubious, and will be empowered to inform security agencies of potential wrongdoing.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Greg Hands: The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on which private sector companies are using large scale bioenergy with carbon capture and storage to reduce their carbon footprint.

Greg Hands: We are not aware of any private sector companies using large scale bioenergy with carbon capture and storage.

Power Stations: Timber

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether any trees burnt in UK power stations since 2003 were sourced from the UK.

Greg Hands: Ofgem publishes data relating to UK derived biomass on its website which can be accessed here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/biomass-sustainability-dataset-2019-20.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will reply to the letter of 10 January 2022 from the Rt. Hon. Member for South Staffordshire on a national strategy and guidance for battery storage unit planning applications.

Greg Hands: The Department received the letter of 10 January on 17 March, on transfer from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. A response will be issued as a priority.

Capital Investment: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2021 to Questions 92862 and 92863, if he will publish the evidential basis and calculations for the amount of public and private investment required to keep the UK on track to (a) meet its carbon budgets and Nationally Determined Contribution and (b) reach net zero by 2050.

Greg Hands: In order to keep the UK on track to meet its climate ambitions, analysis from the Net Zero Strategy estimates that additional capital investment must grow from present levels to an average of £50-60 billion per year through the late 2020s and 2030s. Most of this investment will come from the private sector, providing new opportunities for businesses and investors, and helping to reduce the UK’s exposure to international fossil fuel markets. A breakdown of estimated additional capital investment needed to meet each carbon budget is found in Table 11 of the technical annex published as part of the Net Zero Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy), including key sources of evidence for that assessment. This complements work for HM Treasury’s Net Zero Review, which provided a cross-economy analysis of the investment needs of reaching net zero in 2050 and the evidential bases for the conclusions drawn (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-review-final-report).

Small Businesses: Diesel Vehicles

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential merits of introducing a scrappage scheme to enable small businesses to recycle diesel commercial vehicles and replace them with (a) cleaner hybrid vehicles or (b) zero emission vehicles.

Lee Rowley: The Government has no plans at this stage to introduce a scrappage scheme. The Government has committed £2.5 billion since 2020 to support the transition to zero emission vehicles, with funding to offset their higher upfront cost, and to accelerate the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure.

Overseas Trade: Russia

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to support workers that may block imports or exports of goods from or to Russia including those via a third country.

Paul Scully: The Government has introduced a range of sanctions aimed at encouraging Russia to cease actions destabilising Ukraine or undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine. Companies must not breach these sanctions. Where activity is not covered by these sanctions, workers may be subject to disciplinary action if they are failing to carry out the lawful requirements of their job, but this will be a matter for their employer.

Trading Standards

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of levels of funding for Local Authority Trading Schemes and (b) effect of levels of funding for those schemes on their ability to support consumer rights.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the level of funding reductions for Local Authority Trading Schemes in each of the last 12 years.

Paul Scully: Local authorities are independent from central government and are responsible for determining their resourcing priorities in accordance with the needs of the local electorate. In England, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities decides on the local government finance settlement.

Digital Markets Unit

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on providing the Digital Markets Unit with the relevant statutory footing it needs to give it powers to enforce the new pro-competition regime for digital markets.

Paul Scully: Officials in the Department are working closely with DCMS on this policy issue. The departments published a joint consultation on the policy design in August last year, will be publishing a joint response to that consultation in the coming weeks, and are working together to deliver the necessary legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Overseas Trade: Russia

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to support workers that may take industrial action as a result of their employer trading with Russia.

Paul Scully: The Government has introduced a range of sanctions aimed at encouraging Russia to cease actions destabilising Ukraine or undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine. Where activity is not covered by these sanctions, workers may be subject to disciplinary action if they are failing to carry out the lawful requirements of their job, but this will be a matter for their employer. For industrial action to be lawful it must be carried out in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute, supported by a properly conducted industrial action ballot, under the provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Afghanistan: Home Country Nationals

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the number of Afghan nationals who assisted UK (a) military, (b) humanitarian and (c) development work in Afghanistan who remain in that country.

James Cleverly: Since 2001, the UK Government worked extensively in Afghanistan on military, humanitarian, development and many other priorities. This involved work with the Afghan Government, security and defence forces, NGOs, civil society, our own staff and many other Afghans over 20 years. As such, we do not have an estimate of the total number of Afghans with whom we worked.The UK's Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) amount to one of the most generous resettlement programmes in the world, facilitating the relocation of thousands of eligible Afghans and their family members to the UK. We continue to work, including with international partners, to relocate British nationals and eligible Afghans through third countries. Since the end of Operation PITTING we have supported over 3,700 individuals to leave Afghanistan.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts regarding Iran’s refusal to provide clarification to the International Atomic Energy Agency about nuclear material present at four previously undeclared locations in Iran.

James Cleverly: As a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the UK is regularly involved in discussions on the outstanding issues related to Iran's implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, most recently at the quarterly meeting 7-11 March 2022. Ahead of the meeting, the UK consulted with international counterparts and during the Board session issued a joint statement with France and Germany noting Iran's recent agreement with the IAEA to make progress on this issue, and reinforcing that Iran is legally obliged to cooperate with the IAEA by providing technically credible information, documentation and answers to questions requested by the IAEA.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in Mauritius regarding (a) its claim to sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, (b) transfer of the Outer Islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius and (c) the right to return and resettle for the Chagossian community, following the recent scientific expedition under a Mauritian flag to those islands.

Amanda Milling: In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests and cost to the British taxpayer. There remains no right of abode in BIOT.The UK is currently delivering an approximately £40 million ($50 million) Chagossian Support Package over a ten year period, to improve Chagossian livelihoods in the communities where they now live: in Mauritius, the Seychelles and the UK.As close friends and Commonwealth partners we remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on issues of mutual interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over BIOT, which we have held continuously since 1814.

Ukraine: Polio

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the Polio outbreak in Ukraine; and what assessment she has made of the threat to outbreaks in neighbouring countries.

James Cleverly: The UK is a strong supporter of the global efforts to eradicate polio. Over the last 25 years we have contributed £1.37 billion in funding to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), we have provided technical guidance and we have used our influence to ensure polio eradication remains a major focus of the world's governments. The UK's funding to GPEI is unearmarked, which allows them to respond rapidly to situations such as that currently ongoing in Ukraine.We are monitoring the polio situation in Ukraine carefully and engaging closely with GPEI to ensure that their response considers the risks to neighbouring countries. Currently GPEI are deploying surge staff to the region and have reached out to neighbouring countries to encourage and support the rapid identification and response to cases, through for example, strengthened surveillance, updating the preparedness plans and improving immunization coverage at subnational levels in local and refugee populations.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that any international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme will prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

James Cleverly: We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). Our objective remains to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. There is a fair and comprehensive deal on the table which would reverse Iran's nuclear escalation and return Iran's nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits. The JCPoA would also restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency and prohibit activities relevant to nuclear weapons development. A rapid conclusion to the deal is essential for international security.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to commend President Zelenskyy for his response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK Government wholeheartedly commends President Zelenskyy for his leadership and for standing firm for democracy and freedom. President Zelekensyy inspired Members across the House with his address to Parliament on 8 March. We owe it to President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine to do our utmost to help them in their brave fight. Putin's assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state. We stand with Ukraine and will always defend the Ukrainian people's right to choose their own destiny.

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a renewed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action would require Iran to provide a full historical accounting of its previous violations of the nuclear programme.

James Cleverly: Iran has been out of compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments since 2019. Iran has since February 2021, restricted access to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who are responsible for monitoring Iran's implementation of the nuclear deal.The deal on the table in Vienna talks would return Iran to full compliance with its JCPoA commitments, it would reverse Iran's nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the IAEA. A rapid conclusion of this deal is critical for international security and non-proliferation.

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy on regional stability of the technical abilities and knowledge Iran has acquired during its progressive breaches of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

James Cleverly: Iran has been out of compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments since 2019. Iran's nuclear programme is more advanced today than it has ever been and is undermining regional and international security. The deal on the table in Vienna talks would return Iran to full compliance with its JCPoA commitments. It would reverse Iran's nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The full implementation of the JCPoA could contribute positively to regional prosperity and security in the Middle East and beyond. We urge a conclusion of this deal.

Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of reports of discrimination on grounds of race or ethnicity by Eastern European countries against people displaced from Ukraine; and whether she plans to take steps to help ensure the provision of support without discrimination to those people.

James Cleverly: The UK is committed to the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or race. It is important that all those seeking to leave Ukraine are able to do so. The Foreign Secretary regularly speaks with Polish Foreign Minister Rau where these issues are raised.Combating violence and discrimination against minorities forms an important part of our wider international human rights work. We have pledged £394 million of aid, which includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance and deployed UK humanitarian experts to support Ukraine's neighbours, who are receiving and supporting refugees fleeing Ukraine, through providing logistics advice and analysis of needs on the ground.

Afghanistan: BBC Media Action

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to assist BBC Media Action staff in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: We continue to work, including with international partners, to relocate British nationals and eligible Afghans through third countries. We also provide as much information as we can through our Travel Advice. We have supported over 3,700 individuals to leave Afghanistan since the end of Operation PITTING. This includes BBC Media Action staff. Safe passage continues to be a priority in our engagement on Afghanistan, including with Taliban representatives.

Russia: Aviation

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on reports of Russian flights to Istanbul transiting EU airspace; and what diplomatic steps she is taking with her European counterparts to help prevent the use of European airspace by Russian civil airlines.

James Cleverly: We are not aware of the incidents referred to in the question. However, we welcome the European Union decision to close its airspace for Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft. The UK continues to work closely with the European Union and other international partners on restrictions against Russian aircraft and aviation.From 8pm on 25 February the UK prohibited all Russian aircraft from flying in UK airspace, including both scheduled and non-scheduled flights. The Foreign Secretary followed this by announcing new powers on 8 March to detain Russian aircraft and remove aircraft belonging to designated individuals and entities from the UK register. As well as ban the export of aviation and space-related goods and technology including technical assistance and a further ban on UK companies providing insurance and re-insurance services in relation to these goods and technology.

South Korea: Animal Welfare

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she had with her counterpart in South Korea on improving animal protections in the UK and South Korea.

Amanda Milling: The UK is proud to have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world. This puts the UK in a strong position to share information, research and collaborate with other countries, including South Korea, on animal welfare. We do so via a range of mechanisms including at the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), of which South Korea is also a member.

Iraq: Kurds

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department made of the implications for its policies of recent reports of rocket attacks in Erbil.

Amanda Milling: The UK condemns the senseless attack by Iran on Erbil on 13 March, a serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty. We continue to support the security and stability of Iraq including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The UK considers this and other attacks to constitute a threat to peace and security in Iraq and the wider region.

Russia: Sanctions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in pan-Asian countries on supporting sanctions against Russia.

James Cleverly: UK sanctions have been coordinated with international allies to impose severe cost on Putin and his regime. We are acting together, as our collective impact is greater than the sum of its parts, although the UK has been at the forefront of the allied response.

Zimbabwe: Health

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the trends in the level of health inequalities for (a) women, (b) girls and (c) people with disabilities in Zimbabwe.

Vicky Ford: We regularly engage with the Government of Zimbabwe on a breadth of health care issues. Our Embassy officials met with the Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care at the beginning of March. The UK is one of the largest donors to Zimbabwean health care. Between 2017 and 2022, the UK will have provided £130 million of support through the pooled Health Development Fund (HDF). The HDF focuses on delivering sexual, reproductive, maternal, new-born, child and adolescent health and nutrition services including support to health workers in primary health care facilities. The UK also provides critical support to Zimbabwe's health sector via global health initiatives like the Global Fund, GAVI and the Global Finance Facility.The UK supports the freedom of movement of skilled workers and follows the guidelines as set out in the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguard Green List. We will continue to engage the World Health Organisation to ensure a strategic approach to health worker recruitment, retention and migration.

Zimbabwe: Public Health

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of public health services in Zimbabwe.

Vicky Ford: We regularly engage with the Government of Zimbabwe on a breadth of health care issues. Our Embassy officials met with the Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care at the beginning of March. The UK is one of the largest donors to Zimbabwean health care. Between 2017 and 2022, the UK will have provided £130 million of support through the pooled Health Development Fund (HDF). The HDF focuses on delivering sexual, reproductive, maternal, new-born, child and adolescent health and nutrition services including support to health workers in primary health care facilities. The UK also provides critical support to Zimbabwe's health sector via global health initiatives like the Global Fund, GAVI and the Global Finance Facility.The UK supports the freedom of movement of skilled workers and follows the guidelines as set out in the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguard Green List. We will continue to engage the World Health Organisation to ensure a strategic approach to health worker recruitment, retention and migration.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Vicky Ford: The FCDO is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK's transition to net zero. The FCDO's current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published as part of the Greening Government Commitments.The UK Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Christianity: Oppression

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress she has made in implementing Recommendation 5 in the final report of the Bishop of Truro's Independent review of support for persecuted Christians; and what research she plans to commission into the issues relating to that recommendation.

Vicky Ford: The FCDO continues to fund research activities which look into the intersection between Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), other human rights and broader issues. This includes two large programmes: CREID (Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development - led by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex) and the FoRB Leadership Network (through the University of Oxford). In 2021, we used the John Bunyan Fund to deepen understanding of the intersecting vulnerabilities experienced by religious minorities living in poverty in the shadows of Covid-19.

Bahrain: Detainees

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the findings in Human Rights Watch's 4 March 2022 publication, The UK Sees no Evil in Bahrain’s Detention of Children, that were critical of the Government statements on Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children, if the Government will make it its policy to (a) confirm its opposition to Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children and (b) make representations to the Government of Bahrain calling for the immediate release of six children detained in Bahrain who had their detention renewed on 6 March 2022.

Amanda Milling: The UK takes account of a wide variety of sources when assessing its policies. We continue to believe that Bahrain's Restorative Justice Law for Children provides greater protections for children's rights than the law it replaces, and is consistent with Article 37 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. We welcome its entry into force and continue to support the Government of Bahrain's efforts to ensure the law is fully and effectively implemented. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.

Bahrain: Detainees

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the letter from Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) dated 14 February 2022, which states that the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 114769 is inaccurate and calls for the Government to correct the record, if the Government will (a) correct the record as requested by Human Rights Watch and BIRD and (b) issue a response to that letter.

Amanda Milling: A reply to the Human Rights Watch/BIRD letter of 14 February 2022 will be issued shortly.

British Petroleum: Education

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish the details of the Government's partnership with BP as part of the Girls' Skills Partnership; and whether her Department will (a) provide any funding to BP or (b) receive any funding from BP as part of that partnership.

Vicky Ford: We invited a number of established multinational companies to partner on this programme and have chosen businesses whose skills, experience, business strategy and fields of work make them well placed to add value as partners. The scale of the challenge on girls' education is huge and beyond the capacity and capability of any single Government.We must work in partnership to support girls around the world to access 12 years' of quality education and transition into productive employment. Each partner, including BP, will donate either a financial contribution totalling $1 million (or equivalent in services) directly towards educating girls and empowering women in Bangladesh and Nigeria. The FCDO is not receiving funding from any of the partners.

Education: Females

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress she has made in allocating the increased funding to support women and girls announced in the 2021 Spending Review; and how much of that funding has been allocated to programmes with a focus on ensuring access to education.

Vicky Ford: We are restoring funding for women and girls to pre-ODA cut levels over the Spending Review period, focusing on giving more girls a quality education; ending the extremely harmful practice of female genital mutilation, supporting girls' health; and ending the abhorrent use of sexual violence around the world.Following the Spending Review, decisions on allocations and individual programmes will be published in the usual way.

Development Aid: Females

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the increased funding to support women and girls announced in the 2021 Spending Review will support programmes with a focus on women and girls who face double vulnerabilities as members of minority faiths.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that membership of a minority faith is recognised as an additional factor of vulnerability in her Department's work to support women and girls.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure participation by women and girls who have faced double vulnerabilities as members of a minority faith in the design, assessment and implementation of programmes to support women and girls.

Vicky Ford: We recognise that women and girls from religious minorities can often suffer because of both their gender and their faith. That is why we ensure our human rights policy work considers the intersectionality of human rights, including the importance of addressing the specific vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls from religious minority communities. The Foreign Secretary has publicly committed to putting women and girls at the heart of foreign and development policy, this will be set out in the upcoming International Development Strategy and the upcoming Women and Girls Strategy, which will emphasise the importance of taking account of intersectionality and those facing multiple exclusions including on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or belief. FCDO also has ongoing policy work on Freedom of Religion or Belief - Fiona Bruce was appointed as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief in December 2020.

Ukraine: Refugees

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the need for humanitarian support for displaced children in (a) Ukraine and (b) neighbouring countries.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support organisations providing urgent medical supplies and child health services in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK has now committed £395 million in aid to the current crisis. This includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance which will be used to save lives and protect vulnerable people inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. It will also be used to support refugees, including children, fleeing Ukraine, through the provision of logistics, advice and analysis of needs on the ground. £25 million has been given to the Disasters Emergency Committee, the largest UK aid match ever, which will help aid agencies respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation by providing access to basic necessities and medical supplies. To date, we have contributed £3.5 million to provide medical supplies to Ukraine. Nine flights with supplies have been sent containing over 700,000 UK medical items. UK Government humanitarian experts have also deployed to the region to support those fleeing the violence. As of 15 March, 2.97 million people are known to have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries, according to UNHCR [link: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine].

Ministry of Defence

Type 45 Destroyers: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the Power Improvement Project for the Type 45 Destroyers; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Quin: HMS DAUNTLESS is undergoing tests and harbour trials at Cammell Laird before embarking on sea trials. HMS DARING has now commenced the Power Improvement Project (PIP) conversion in Cammell Laird. In addition, HMS DRAGON has commenced her maintenance programme this month which will now include PIP, to be undertaken concurrently with her planned upkeep package and in parallel to HMS DARING. This will ensure that the PIP conversion programme is advanced as quickly as possible.

Ajax Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to change the firm order commitment of the Ajax armoured fighting vehicle.

Jeremy Quin: We continue to work to the firm price contract with General Dynamics UK in which they are required to deliver and support 589 Ajax vehicles.

RAF Benson: Pest Control

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the timetable for tackling the rodent infestation in the kitchen at RAF Benson Officers Mess.

Leo Docherty: RAF Benson Officers' Mess was closed on 28 February 2022 following the identification of rodents. The issue was logged the following day. Pest Control Specialists attended the site on 2 March 2022 to begin eradication measures and have revisited on five further occasions to complete their work.Preventative measures are now being put in place and there will be a deep clean of the site to enable the Officers' Mess to be reopened by 25 March 2022.

Ajax Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 21 of the NAO's report entitled The AJAX programme, who the Department commissioned to conduct the additional monitoring which concluded that noise issues were not limited to prototype vehicles.

Jeremy Quin: The Army’s Environmental Monitoring team as per the response I gave to the right hon. Member on 19 July 2021, to Question 32308.AJAX Vehicles; Testing (docx, 14.0KB)

Ajax Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse from maintenance of vehicles still in service owing to the delay in the AJAX programme.

Jeremy Quin: In relation to the delay in the AJAX programme, no resultant extension to vehicle out of service dates have yet been confirmed. Work is ongoing by the Army to identify whether any such extensions will be required and associated costs.

Ajax Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the AJAX programme, whether his Department has a fixed price contract with GDLS-UK for the (a) total contract and (b) demonstration and manufacture phases of that contract.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence has a firm price contract with General Dynamics UK for the delivery of 589 Ajax vehicles, including demonstration and manufacture.

Type 31 Frigates: Iron and Steel

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of steel used in the Type 31 frigates by (a) tonnage and (b) value is sourced from UK companies.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 March 2022 to Question 136652 to the hon. Member for Angus (Dave Doogan).Type 31 Frigates; Iron and Steel (docx, 18.3KB)

Ministry of Defence: Remote Working

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on his Department’s carbon footprint.

Jeremy Quin: The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions. Current progress on emissions is published as part of the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report (published by DEFRA). The Strategy for Defence Infrastructure, published in January 2022, supports and enables the Department's Smarter Working ambitions. Smarter Working, improving the utilisation of the Defence estate, will contribute to the Ministry of Defence contribution to UK Net Zero.

Ministry of Defence: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to measure its carbon footprint.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence publishes its Greenhouse Gas emissions associated with energy consumption on the defence estate, domestic business travel and operational fuels in its Annual Reports and Accounts. Last year I published the Ministry of Defence Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach (publishing.service.gov.uk) which shows the scale of our ambition and the practical actions to address our carbon emissions.

Ministry of Defence: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to reducing emissions and contributing to the UK's transition to net zero. The Department's current progress on reducing emissions has been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitment Annual Report (published by DEFRA). Indeed, MOD has already halved its carbon emissions from its estates since 2010 and is seeking to further drive down its direct emissions, invest in renewables and energy efficiency measures in support of the Government published the Net Zero Strategy. Our net zero, climate adaptation and resilience ambitions, as well as the range of actions we are taking are set out in our Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach (publishing.service.gov.uk). Further information on the progress MOD is making can be found in the MOD's Annual Report and Accounts published on Gov.uk.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to which units in the armed forces of Ukraine have UK supplies of anti-tank weapons been sent.

James Heappey: The UK has issued anti-tank weapons to the armed forces of Ukraine on the understanding they will be used at the point of greatest need. These defensive weapons have already been used to good effect by regular units of the Ukrainian Army. To list specific units would be a potential breach of Ukrainian operational security.

Armed Conflict: British Nationals Abroad

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will clarify the legal position on British citizens who (a) have travelled or (b) plan to travel to Ukraine to fight against Russian armed forces.

James Heappey: We advise against all travel to Ukraine.Depending on the planned activity and the circumstances, travel to engage in overseas conflict could give rise to offences under UK law, including terrorism and war crimes. There are also laws preventing British subjects in certain circumstances engaging in military service for a foreign state under Foreign Enlistment Act 1870. Cases would be considered on a case-by-case basis.The UK possesses a range of tools to disrupt and investigate outbound travel where there is a national security case for doing so. This includes our Schedule 7 powers under the Terrorism Act 2000, which enables counter-terrorism police to stop, question and when necessary, detain and search a person travelling through a UK port to determine whether that person is or has been involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Armed Conflict: British Nationals Abroad

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the law is on British citizens travelling abroad to fight in foreign wars.

James Heappey: We advise against all travel to Ukraine.Depending on the planned activity and the circumstances, travel to engage in overseas conflict could give rise to offences under UK law, including terrorism and war crimes. There are also laws preventing British subjects in certain circumstances engaging in military service for a foreign state under Foreign Enlistment Act 1870. Cases would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

COP26

UN Climate Conference 2021

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the President of COP26, what steps is he taking to ensure COP26 commitments are upheld by signatories.

Alok Sharma: At COP26, almost 200 countries agreed to the historic Glasgow Climate Pact which keeps alive the aim of limiting average global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Today, 90% of global GDP is covered by net zero pledges, up from 30% when the UK took on the COP Presidency, and 154 countries have submitted emissions reductions targets for 2030. Under the UK’s Presidency, 95% of the largest developed country climate finance providers made new commitments, with many doubling or even quadrupling their support for developing countries to take climate action. The Paris Agreement made promises and now Glasgow’s legacy is focused on delivery. We will work closely with Egypt and the UAE, as incoming COP27 and COP28 Presidencies, with Germany and Indonesia, respectively G7 and G20 Presidencies, with the UNFCCC and other international organisations, to ensure commitments and agreements made at COP26 are built upon and delivered. We will use the full calendar of international events in 2022 to progress this work.

Scotland Office

Business Premises: Coldstream

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what progress has been made in the building of new business units in Coldstream as part of the Borderlands Growth Deal.

Mr Alister Jack: We are continuing to work at pace with the Borderlands partners to agree project business cases. Business Infrastructure falls within the Scottish Government investment in Borderlands. However, I can advise that progress is being made between SG and partners and it is anticipated that the Coldstream business infrastructure project could draw down Deal funding in 2022/23.

Higher Education: Scotland

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if his Department will take steps to encourage higher education institutions in Scotland adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.

Mr Alister Jack: There is no place in our society, including within higher education (HE), for antisemitism. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition is an important tool in tackling antisemitism. Adopting the widely recognised definition sends a strong signal that HE providers take these issues seriously. HE in Scotland is devolved and responsibility for policy, for the most part, rests with the Scottish Government. The decision on adoption of the definition rests with individual providers. However, the UK Government has urged HE providers in England to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and ensure the HE is a genuinely fulfilling and welcoming experience. I am sure that many HE providers in Scotland will also choose to adopt the definition and I would support them in doing that.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Australia and  New Zealand

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish her Department's impact assessments of the effect of trade deals with (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand on Wales.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department for International Trade has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trade Agreements: Australia and  New Zealand

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government conducted impact assessments of the effect of trade deals with (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand on (a) the agriculture sector and (b) all other sectors in Wales.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department for International Trade has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Overseas Trade: Russia

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will take steps to call for a global boycott of businesses that continue to trade with Russia.

Mike Freer: We have announced the strongest set of economic sanctions ever imposed against a major economy, which will help cripple Putin’s war machine. The UK has targeted the political elite, introduced powers to cut off the Russian banking sector from the UK, and announced restrictive trade measures to minimise the funding Putin has available to wage his illegal war. We have welcomed commitments made by firms who have announced their intention to reduce or sell holdings in Russia. We urge firms to think carefully about their investments in Russia.

Overseas Trade: Russia

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with his international counterparts on trade with Russia.

Mike Freer: The UK and our international partners stand united in the face of Russian aggression. The international community has demonstrated unprecedented unity, including on trade matters. Alongside other G7 countries, we are denying Russia Most-Favoured-Nation treatment relating to key products, ramping up the pressure on Russia’s economy. We have also announced a prohibition on the export of luxury goods to Russia. In addition to engagement in multilateral fora, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has met a range of counterparts, including US Ambassador Philip T. Reeker and German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Habeck. The Secretary of State will meet US and Canadian counterparts on 21 and 22 March.

Russia: Coking Coal

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in EU states on opposing the import and sale of Russian produced coking coal to the EU for steel production.

Mike Freer: In lockstep with our allies, including with EU states, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions Russia has ever seen. Alongside other G7 countries, we are denying Russia Most-Favoured-Nation treatment relating to key products, ramping up the pressure on Russia’s economy. Whilst coking coal is not currently included with these products, we do not speculate on future sanctions. However, we have made clear that, together with our global partners, we will continue to apply pressure on Putin’s regime.

Iron and Steel: Russia

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government plans to prohibit imports of Russian-made steel in the context of Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Mike Freer: In lockstep with our allies, we are introducing the largest and most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced, to help cripple Putin’s war machine. Following the G7 statement of Friday 11 March, the UK will deny Russia’s entitlement to Most Favoured Nation tariff access on key products, including steel.As you know, we do not speculate on future sanctions. However, we have made clear that will continue to apply pressure on Putin’s regime.

Women and Equalities

Members: Correspondence

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she will respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 4 October 2021 on the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on disabled people, reference case number MP71787.

Kemi Badenoch: I apologise for the delay in responding to the Rt. Hon. Member’s correspondence. The response was sent on 17 March 2022.

Department for Transport

Members: Correspondence

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys of 10 December 2021 and 31 January 2022 regarding a constituent and emergency vehicle training.

Trudy Harrison: A response was sent to you on 18 March.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the MOT failure rate for (a) diesel, (b) petrol, (c) plug-in hybrids and (d) battery electric vehicles in each of the last five years.

Trudy Harrison: The table below shows the initial failure rate for all MOT vehicle classes from Class 1 (small motorcycles) up to and including Class 7 (goods vehicles between 3,000kg and 3,500kg).The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not hold data to differentiate between hybrid vehicles that are Plug-In, and those which are not.Calendar YearDiesel vehiclesPetrol vehiclesHybrid vehiclesBattery electric vehicles201734.19%34.56%20.56%18.32%201833.64%33.78%19.97%19.15%201932.10%32.07%18.05%19.08%202030.77%30.26%16.63%18.34%202130.47%28.76%15.76%17.65%

High Speed 2 Line: Trees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to require HS2 to reduce the avoidable mortality of trees it plants; and if he will make it his policy that HS2 Ltd publish the results of their ecological monitoring.

Andrew Stephenson: HS2 Ltd’s contractors follow The National Plant Specification - Handling and Establishment (Published by The Committee for Plant Supply and Establishment, Revised edition, November 1995) which provides industry standard guidance on processes for plant handling and establishment on large scale planting projects. Aligning to industry guidance, HS2 Ltd expects plant failures across its construction sites to be within the best practice guidance range of 5-15%. Mortality within planted areas should be expected during the first several years and the Forestry Commission advises that the success of planted areas should be assessed after five years, by which time the planting should be close to achieving its aims. Plant failures are replaced to ensure HS2 Ltd maintains the Phase One commitment to plant and maintain up to seven million trees.In terms of ecological monitoring, all data collected by HS2 Ltd is released on data.gov.uk at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/1800a83a-1fc4-49e1-bac3-d970caf4451b/phase-one-ecological-survey-data. This dataset is refreshed on an annual basis and updated with any survey results collected within that period. In addition, HS2 Ltd circulates the results of the ecological monitoring work to an independent Ecology Review Group for feedback and comment.

Highway Code: Publicity

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March to Question 138103 on Highway Code: Publicity, if he will provide a breakdown of expenditures within the £500,000 allocated to raising awareness of changes to the Highway Code.

Trudy Harrison: Highway Code Phase 1 (Feb/March 2022) Excl VatMediaMedia - Radio/Digital Audio£ 280,000.00 Media - Social£ 75,000.00 Media - Planning£ 7,600.00Production - Radio and Social Assets (Including fees and research)Production£ 160,000.00EvaluationResearch£ 41,500.00   £ 564,100.00

Bus Services and Taxis: Assistance Animals and Wheelchairs

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 131066 on Bus Services and Taxis: Assistance Animals and Wheelchairs, when he plans to publish a consultation on the introduction of mandatory disability awareness for taxi and minicab drivers.

Wendy Morton: The Department for Transport remains committed to introducing mandatory disability awareness training for taxi and PHV drivers in England through new National Minimum Standards for licensing authorities when Parliamentary time allows.The Department will be consulting later in the year on updated best practice guidance for local licensing authorities, including a stronger recommendation that every driver is required to complete disability awareness training.

Railways: Tickets

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ticket office closures on rail passengers who require face-to-face services to purchase tickets.

Wendy Morton: The process for train operators to propose any changes to the opening hours of ticket offices or for closing ticket offices is set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. This regulates what train operators do in terms of fares ticketing and retailing across the network. Applications for changes can be proposed under a Major Change process if:(a) the change would represent an improvement on current arrangements in terms of quality of service and/or cost effectiveness; and(b) members of the public would continue to enjoy widespread and easy access to the purchase of rail products, notwithstanding the change.

Railways: Passengers

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a projection of expected rail passenger numbers, as a proportion of pre-pandemic levels, for the next 12 months.

Wendy Morton: The Department continues to actively work to understand the impact of coronavirus and other factors on rail demand. As part of this we are ensuring that we use a range of rail demand scenarios based on a series of factors that could drive rail demand over the short and long term to influence decisions. These include economic forecasts and behavioural factors. The Department continues to monitor evidence on behaviour changes as a result of the pandemic.Given the considerable uncertainty that the pandemic has caused, these scenarios cannot be used as forecasts. However, they do reflect some of the possible impacts of the pandemic on future rail demand.

Electric Vehicles: Regulation

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on bringing forward legislative proposals to amend regulations in respect of privately owned electric vehicles.

Trudy Harrison: The Secretary of State meets regularly with Cabinet and government colleagues to discuss the transition to electric vehicles. The government will publish a response to the consultation on improving the consumer experience at public chargepoints soon. Further legislative measures were consulted on as part of the Future of transport regulatory review: zero emission vehicles, which closed in November 2021. The government will publish its response in due course.

Motorway Service Areas: Electric Vehicles

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of motorway service stations have grid connectivity suitable for providing electric vehicle charging stations.

Trudy Harrison: Almost all motorway service areas in England already have electric vehicle chargepoints, though in many locations there will only be one or two lower powered chargers at present. To make faster charging more readily available across the motorway network, Government is working with industry to ensure that every motorway service area in England has at least six high powered chargepoints by the end of 2023, including through Ofgem’s £300m Green Recovery Scheme which is providing network upgrades at over 50 service stations. Government is also launching the £950m Rapid Charging Fund to provide the network upgrades required to support the growth of electric vehicle charging for decades to come.

Road Signs and Markings: Speed Limits

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what service target his Department has in place for National Highways to install a speed-activated warning sign along dangerous parts of A-roads, including the A46.

Trudy Harrison: National Highways does not have a specific target to install speed activated warning signs along the Strategic Road Network. National Highways considers the case for these types of signs on different stretches of road according to the relevant safety data alongside other safety measures such as barriers and lighting.Following engagement with local stakeholders, National Highways is exploring the possibility of introducing Vehicle Activated Signage (VAS) on the A46 in the Worcestershire area, which is specifically targeted at improving awareness of junctions which are not visible due to bends along the road.

Department for Education

Geography: Teachers

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 132346 on Teachers: Training, what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure that the 2021-22 geography trainee teacher cohort is not financially disadvantaged compared with their counterparts in other years following the reinstatement of the geography teacher bursary.

Mr Robin Walker: The bursaries we offer are designed to incentivise more applications to initial teacher training (ITT) courses. As such, they are provided for the phases and subjects which have previously struggled to attract sufficient applicants. Being able to change bursary amounts gives us the flexibility to respond to the need to attract new teachers, and means we are spending money where it is needed most.In the academic year 2020/21, we exceeded the geography postgraduate ITT target (achieving 129% of the target). The bursaries we offered for academic year 2021/22 took account of this and the continuing boost to ITT recruitment caused by the economic impact of COVID-19.We announced the bursaries available for academic year 2021/22 on 12 October 2020, the same day that applications opened for ITT courses starting in 2021/22. This information was published on GOV.UK and promoted to applicants through our Get Into Teaching service, to ensure applicants were made aware of the financial offer before applying. As bursaries are designed to incentivise applications it would not be appropriate, or a judicious use of public money, to retrospectively award them to trainees who were not eligible when they applied.

Department for Education: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Michelle Donelan: The department is currently preparing a sustainability and climate change strategy for the education and children’s services systems. A draft of this strategy was shared at COP26 for wider engagement across the sectors, prior to the planned publication of the final version in April 2022. More information, including the draft strategy document, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/education-secretary-puts-climate-change-at-the-heart-of-education--2.The department’s sustainability and climate change strategy for the education and children’s services systems centres on four strategic aims:Excellence in education and skills for a changing world.Net Zero.Resilience to climate change.A better environment for future generations.Each outcome will cover each of our sectors (early years, schools, further education, higher education, children’s social care), as well as the organisation itself, and its Arm’s Length Bodies.Proposals on transitioning to Net Zero are set out in Action Area 3 on Education Estates. Regarding the department’s own operations, proposals are set out in Action Area 4 on Operations and Supply Chains. The department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.The government also published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

STEM Subjects: Females

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage more girls to consider studying for STEM subjects at (a) school, (b) FE college and (c) higher education.

Michelle Donelan: Ensuring that anyone, regardless of their background, can pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupation is a key priority for this government.To ensure a strong pipeline of qualified students into higher education (HE) and careers in STEM areas, the department has committed substantial spending on mathematics, digital and technical education including funding the Stimulating Physics Network. This network provides tailored support to schools to increase rates of progression to physics A level, including an ‘inclusion project’ which is designed to increase the uptake of A level physics from students in underrepresented groups, including girls.The department has funded a £84 million programme to improve computing teaching and participation at GCSE and A level, particularly amongst girls.The department is funding research programmes to investigate ways to tackle gender balance in STEM subjects, including the ‘Improving Gender Balance’ national research trial for physics, and the ‘Gender Balance in Computing’ programme, led by the Raspberry Pi Foundation.The department has also introduced T Levels as a high-quality technical alternative to A levels. The current T Levels in Science and Digital, as well as the upcoming T Levels in Engineering and Manufacturing, will provide opportunities for all students to study STEM-related subjects. To challenge stereotypes which may hold young people back, including gender stereotypes, the department are using T Level ambassadors to showcase a wide range of voices from those already studying T levels, including girls taking STEM-related T Levels.The department is implementing several initiatives to increase the numbers of students pursuing STEM at higher levels. Institutes of Technology are unique employer-led institutions providing higher technical education and training in key STEM sectors such as digital, construction, advanced manufacturing, and engineering. These provide local people with the skills to pursue rewarding jobs and local business with the skilled workforce they need. They play a key role in widening local participation in technical education and training from disadvantages and under-represented groups (for example, women and ethnic minorities in STEM), which will help to increase the long-term pipeline of STEM skills.In HE, the proportion of female full-time undergraduate entrants studying STEM courses has increased from 33.6% in 2011 to 42.2% in 2021.

Apprentices

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects on the number of businesses offering apprenticeships; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage more businesses to offer apprenticeships.

Alex Burghart: Apprenticeships provide people with the opportunity to earn and learn the skills needed to start an exciting career or boost their skills in a wide range of industries. The department wants more employers to offer high-quality apprenticeships.In the 2019/20 academic year, there were 66,900 unique enterprises in England, with at least one matched start for apprenticeships. Of these, small enterprises with 0-49 employees represented 71.2% (47,633), medium enterprises with 50-249 employees represented 15.3% (10,236), and large enterprises with 250+ employees represented 13.5% (9,031). Further data breakdowns for apprenticeship employers' industry characteristics is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics/2019-20.To support employers in all sectors to offer apprenticeships, the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year. We are also encouraging the use of more flexible training models, such as front-loaded and accelerated training and flexi-job apprenticeships to ensure that apprenticeships work for employers in all sectors.We are also engaging with employers through our Join the Skills Revolution campaign. The campaign aims to increase small and medium-sized enterprises’ awareness and consideration of apprenticeships and other skills programmes, such as traineeships and T Level industry placements, to drive action to increase uptake.

Apprentices: Ukraine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will ensure that Ukrainian refugees are able to access apprenticeships on arrival in the UK.

Alex Burghart: The department is committed to supporting refugees to move forward with their lives and individuals with refugee status can access apprenticeships in England. Officials are working with their counterparts in the Home Office on the new visa schemes and the department will provide more detail as soon as further information is available.

Apprentices: Finance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of businesses that are out of time in their applications for apprenticeships funding for training provided by Paragon Skills; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what obligations apprenticeship training providers have to inform businesses of the processes and deadlines for applying to his Department for funding.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department informed apprenticeship training providers that businesses using their services would have to make direct applications to his Department for funding; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to introduce an appeals process for businesses that have made an out of time application for funding for apprenticeship training as a result of inaccurate advice given by training providers.

Alex Burghart: The department is committed to supporting employers and apprentices to benefit from the high-quality training that an apprenticeship offers. We introduced incentive payments as part of the Plan for Jobs to support employers to offer apprenticeships to new hires between 1 August 2020 and 31 January 2022.The incentive payment scheme was implemented across three phases, with extensions and new phases developed in response to the national impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of the Plan for Jobs package.From the onset of the scheme, we have communicated extensively to employers and providers that, as the employer receives the incentive payment directly, it is their responsibility to apply for the payment.Deadlines for each phase of the scheme and how to apply have been communicated in a number of ways. This includes through direct emails to all apprentice employers, notifications in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts, guidance on GOV.UK pages, posts on social media channels, and the apprenticeship funding rules.There has been no formal obligation for training providers to inform employers of the process for applying for incentive payments, but we have communicated extensively with providers and intermediary organisations so that they have the same information as employers. Training providers may have chosen to share information or offer guidance to their employers on the incentives scheme as part of their activities to support the smooth running of an employer’s apprenticeship programme.Due to our extensive communications to employers, we have no plans to introduce an appeals process for employers who missed the deadline. We do not hold information on the number, or details, of employers that did not submit an application for an incentive payment in time.Over 170,000 incentive payment claims have been submitted by employers as of February 2022. Employers of all sizes can continue to access government funding for apprenticeship training and assessment and we continue to offer £1,000 payments to employers and providers when they hire apprentices aged 16 to 18.

British Students Abroad: Ukraine

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to find places on UK medical courses for UK students who were studying in Ukraine but have now been displaced as a result of Russia's invasion of that country.

Michelle Donelan: The department is aware that UK nationals studying in Ukraine, many of whom were studying medicine, have had their studies disrupted. The government will look to support these students as they reassess their options in the UK and the department has asked universities to treat these students sensitively.The department recognises that, for a variety of reasons, many of these students cannot be accommodated on medicine courses. Therefore, we are encouraging universities to consider alternative options to allow these students to continue their studies. These include related courses in the biological sciences or subjects allied to medicine.The department is also looking into how the higher education (HE) sector can support Ukrainian HE providers should it be appropriate or feasible for elements of the course or exams to be delivered remotely.Whilst HE providers are autonomous and independent from government, we are encouraging them to be as flexible as possible for all students impacted by the situation in Ukraine and where they are facing challenges, to ensure support is given where it is most needed.The department will continue to work closely with key representatives to explore how the HE sector can collectively support Ukrainian students.

Higher Education: Student Wastage

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the student drop out rate was at higher education institutions in England in each of the last five years.

Michelle Donelan: Official statistics on student retention are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) as part of their UK performance indicators, which can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/performance-indicators.The non-continuation section shows the results of two measures for understanding retention of students through their studies:Non-continuation rates, defined as the percentage of first year students who do not continue their studies after 12 months (full-time students) or 24 months (part-time students).Projected outcomes completion rates, which estimate the proportion of full-time first-degree starters that complete their degrees, based on the latest progression patterns at each provider.The non-continuation section is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/performance-indicators/non-continuation.Latest statistics published by HESA refer to students entering higher education (HE) in the academic year 2019/20 and whether they continued in the following academic year (2020/21). This is the first period of data that covers the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Table D, which can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/performance-indicators/non-continuation/table-d includes non-continuation rates at English providers since 2014/15[1], and shows that 5.4% of young[2] UK domiciled full-time first degree entrants in the academic year 2019/20 did not continue after their first year of study. This rate represents a decrease from 6.7% for entrants in the 2018/19 academic year.Table F, which can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/performance-indicators/non-continuation/table-f includes projected outcomes at English providers since 1997/98, and shows that 81.7% of UK domiciled full-time first-degree starters in the 2019/20 academic year were projected to obtain a degree at the same HE provider where they started. 9.7% of these starters were projected to leave higher education with no award, and this is the lowest proportion since these statistics have been calculated.[1] HESA’s publication archive contains historic non-continuation rates for academic years prior to 2014/15. These were calculated under a slightly different methodology, as set out in these publications. The archive is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/publications[2] Aged 20 and under at time of entry.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that there are sufficient numbers of specialist teachers to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Mr Robin Walker: Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the information for England only.The department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers. The reformed initial teacher training core content framework (ITT CCF) and the new early career framework (ECF), both developed with sector experts, will equip teachers with a clear understanding of the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).All teachers are teachers of SEND. ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the teachers’ standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.Consideration of SEND underpins both the ITT CCF and ECF, which were both produced with the support of sector experts. The ECF is designed to support all pupils to succeed and seeks to widen access for all.The department is determined that all children and young people receive the support they need to succeed in their education. It is a legal requirement for qualified teachers of classes of pupils with sensory impairments to hold the relevant mandatory qualification, referred to as an MQSI. The department’s aim is to ensure a steady supply of teachers for children with visual, hearing, and multi-sensory impairments, in both specialist and mainstream education providers.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to bring the rules for granting leaves of absence in academies in line with other state-funded schools.

Mr Robin Walker: The department recently consulted on our intention to bring rules for granting leaves of absence in academies in line with other state-funded schools. The link to the consultation is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-attendance-improving-consistency-of-support.The department will publish a response to the consultation in due course.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities applied to his Department for permission to transfer funding from the school's block to the high needs block within the Dedicated Schools Grant for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23; and what the outcomes of those applications were.

Mr Robin Walker: The dedicated schools grant (DSG) conditions of grant permit local authorities to transfer 0.5% or below of their schools block funding, with the consent of their schools forum. Where the schools forum does not agree, or the transfer is above 0.5%, the local authority can apply to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to disapply the conditions of grant. This is known as a disapplication request.In the 2021/22 financial year, the department received 16 block movement disapplication requests. One of these was withdrawn before a decision was made.The table below details the further 15 requests, the name of the local authority, the amount of transfer requested in both percentage and cash, and the final decision. To note, the table below represents what was approved. Actual amounts transferred may differ.Local Authority NameAmount as a % of the schools blockAmount £DecisionSwindon0.12%£191,100RejectedWest Sussex0.50%£2,500,000RejectedOxfordshire0.50%£2,000,000RejectedSurrey0.50%£3,400,000RejectedCheshire East0.50%£1,100,000RejectedCambridgeshire1.00%£3,800,000RejectedDudley1.00%£2,180,000RejectedBarnsley1.00%£1,633,650ApprovedKent1.00%£12,266,780ApprovedBCP*1.10%£2,406,161Rejected (Forum agreed 0.50%)Southwark1.20%£3,100,000ApprovedSouth Gloucestershire1.30%£2,200,000ApprovedNorfolk1.50%£8,000,000Rejected (Forum agreed 0.50%)Rotherham1.50%£3,000,000ApprovedHillingdon2.30%£5,500,000Rejected In the 2022/23 financial year, the department received 19 block movement disapplication requests. Six of these were withdrawn before a decision was made. The table below details the further 13 requests, the name of the local authority, the amount of transfer requested in both percentage and cash, and the final decision. To note, the table below represents what was approved. Actual amounts transferred may differ.Local Authority NameAmount as a % of the schools blockAmount £DecisionLeicestershire0.50%£2,300,000RejectedStaffordshire0.50%£2,800,000RejectedWokingham0.50%£630,000RejectedCheshire East0.50%£1,200,000RejectedOxfordshire0.50%£1,600,000RejectedWest Northamptonshire0.69%£2,100,000ApprovedMerton0.70%£1,000,000ApprovedHalton1.00%£1,017,926ApprovedKent1.00%£10,000,000ApprovedBarnsley1.00%£1,697,773ApprovedSouth Gloucestershire1.18%£2,200,000ApprovedNorfolk1.50%£8,473,445ApprovedRotherham1.50%£3,235,707Approved*BCP = Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

National Skills Fund

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will consider expanding the National Skills Fund, to include Level 2 qualifications, in order to help tackle skill shortages in the specialist covered car transport sector.

Michelle Donelan: The government is investing £2.5 billion (£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) in the National Skills Fund. This is a significant investment and has the potential to deliver new opportunities to generations of adults who may have been previously left behind. Training offers funded through the National Skills Fund, including the free courses for jobs level 3 offer and Skills Bootcamps, have been developed to boost the supply of skills needed by employers and provide adults with a clear line of sight to a job. This training is delivered primarily at levels 3-5 because the evidence has shown that these skill levels are in high demand in the labour market. The free courses for jobs offer give eligible adults the chance to access level 3 qualifications for free. Complementing this, Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses for adults, primarily at levels 3-5. They are co-designed with employers to respond to skill shortages. In response to evidence of a national shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers, we are investing £34 million to create up to 11,000 training places for Skills Bootcamps in HGV driving – these courses are at level 2. Since their launch in December, we know that many employers from the transport and logistics sectors are already benefiting from this offer. Following the announcement at Spending Review of an additional £550 million for Skills Bootcamps over the spending review period, we will continue to expand the offer, ensuring that provision meets the needs of employers and the changing needs of the economy. In addition, level 2 qualifications are funded through the adult education budget, which overall fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3.

Leader of the House

Committee on Standards: Powers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on strengthening the powers of the Committee on Standards in relation to the enforcement of guidelines on MPs conduct and behaviour.

Mark Spencer: The powers of the Standards Committee are provided for in the Standing Orders (Standing Order No.149). It is for the House as a whole to consider on a cross-party basis whether the Standards system as set out in the Code of Conduct for MPs is sufficiently robust. The Committee is currently reviewing the Code of Conduct and the Government has responded to their proposals for reform.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Peat

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the level of research and development needed to assess replacing peat in use in the ornamental horticulture industry.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the ornamental horticulture supply chain to transition away from the use of peat.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the availability of alternatives to peat in use in the horticulture industry.

Rebecca Pow: We have always been clear of the need to end the use of peat and peat containing products in horticulture in England and Wales. A voluntary target was set in 2011 to stop using peat in the amateur sector by 2020. While some progress was made, this target has not been met, which is why we are consulting on measures to end the use of peat and peat containing products, including a ban on the sale of peat in the retail sector by the end of this Parliament. Alongside our consultation we have published our assessment on the impact of our proposed measures, which can be found here.We continue to support the industry in their efforts to go peat free, this support has included, over £1 million on a project to provide the necessary applied science to help underpin the development and management of alternative growing media. We are co-funding monitoring with the horticultural industry of the composition of growing media (including peat) supplied for amateur and professional use in the horticultural market.We have worked with the horticulture industry to develop a Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media, which allows manufacturers and retailers to make informed choices of growing media inputs to peat free products, based on environmental and social impacts.Forestry England has committed to end the purchase of peat-based growing media by the end of this Parliament, well in advance of the rest of the professional sector. In order to achieve this ambitious commitment, Forestry England is continuing to lead the way, actively testing and trialling the use of non-peat growing media alternatives and aiming to provide the wider sector with confidence in these alternatives. This is crucial to supporting these emerging products and supporting the phase out of peat from the wider industry as a whole.

Reservoirs: Thames Valley

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the requirement for and (b) the suitability of sites available for provision of new water reservoir capacity in Thames Valley; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency’s National Framework for water resources, published in 2020, identified that between 2025 and 2050 around 3,435 million additional litres of water per day will be needed for public water supply. Of this total, around half is required for the South East of England. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers, efficiently and economically. Statutory water resources management plans show how companies will continue to meet this duty and manage water supply and demand for at least the next 25 years. In their plans, water companies must consider all options, including demand management and water resources infrastructure. Collaborative regional water resources groups and water companies are preparing their water resources plans for consultations during 2022. Thames Water and Affinity Water will formally consult publicly on their draft water resources management plans at the end of 2022. At the planning consent stage, further consultation of any proposed water resources infrastructure will be required.

Rivers: Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy that all chalk streams are to designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: SSSI designations aim to generate a representative network and the international importance of Great Britain for chalk streams means they are already well-represented in the SSSI series. Our Nature Recovery Green Paper [published on 16 March] explores how the current protected sites system in England could be improved to better promote nature recovery, particularly in relation to our commitments to protect 30% of land by 2030 and ensure species recovery.

Chemicals

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on publishing its Chemicals Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department will finalise its chemicals strategy by 31 December 2022.

Jo Churchill: The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan commits to a new strategy to tackle chemicals of national concern. Work is underway to develop a Chemicals Strategy and we will consult with a wide range of stakeholders as an important part of its development. We will set out next steps on the Chemicals Strategy in due course.

Pâté de Foie Gras: Imports

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 129762, when he expects to have completed information gathering; and when he plans to make a decision on whether to ban foie gras imports.

Jo Churchill: As set out in the response to the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead on 7 March 2022 to Question 129762, we continue to engage with a range of stakeholders about the issues regarding foie gras produced overseas using force-feeding practices. This activity is a key step in taking forward the Government’s commitment to improving animal welfare standards as outlined in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Jo Churchill: The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments. The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Fishing Vessels: Russia

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has placed sanctions on Russian owned and operated fishing vessels that may have obtained fish quotas or licences to fish within UK waters.

Victoria Prentis: We have not issued licences to fish in British fishery limits to any vessels which fly the Russian flag. We do not believe that any vessels owned or operated by Russian nationals currently fish in UK waters. UK quotas are only allocated for use by British-registered vessels.

Fertilisers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the total amount of fertilizer used in Britain and produced in British plants as a percentage of total consumption in (a) 2018 and (b) 2021.

Victoria Prentis: Of the 3.98 million tonnes of inorganic mineral fertiliser used in Britain in 2018 approximately 40% of this was produced domestically. This amounted to approximately 1.5 million tonnes primarily of ammonium nitrate. Regarding 2021 figures we don’t yet have sight of the related British Survey Fertiliser Practice which outlines the types, amounts and how fertiliser is used across Britain for that year as these are usually released in June or July.

Wheat: Prices

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the projected wheat price changes for the remainder of 2022 as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Victoria Prentis: Data published by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board show that average ex-farm spot prices for feed and milling wheat have risen 53% since April 2021, and 32% in the weeks from February 17 to March 10, 2022. This is closely matched by near-dated London feed wheat futures prices, which have risen 53% and 34% in the same timeframe. Price developments for the remainder of the year will depend on how the situation in Ukraine develops, and on the responses of major wheat importers and exporters. The department continues to monitor price movements and volatility, and continues to engage with international partners in the G20 Agricultural Market Information System to facilitate smooth functioning of the global food trade.

Attorney General

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the unduly lenient sentence scheme in relation to the offences of (a) death by dangerous driving and (b) driving under the influence.

Alex Chalk: Each eligible case in which a review of sentence is sought is considered personally by the Law Officers with the utmost care, to decide whether there are proper grounds to make a referral to the Court of Appeal. ‘Eligible’ means no more than 28 days have elapsed since the sentence and the offence is within the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The offence of death by dangerous driving is within the scheme; the offence of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs is not. Last year the Law Officers referred eight sentences passed in cases of death by dangerous driving to the Court of Appeal; four were increased. The decision whether to increase a sentence is a matter for the independent judiciary.

Public Sector Debt

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, on what occasions she or her predecessors met with Treasury ministers or officials between 1 January 2017 and 16 March 2022 to discuss (a) cy-près schemes or (b) charitable contributions to reduce the national debt.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, on what occasions the Solicitor General or his predecessors met with Treasury ministers or officials between 1 January 2017 and 16 March 2022 to discuss (a) cy- près schemes or (b) charitable contributions to reduce the national debt.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, on what occasions officials in her Department met with Treasury ministers or officials between 1 January 2017 and 16 March 2022 to discuss (a) cy- près schemes or (b) charitable contributions to reduce the national debt.

Alex Chalk: There have been no Ministerial-level meetings (either Minister-Minister or Minister-Officials) between the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) between 1 January 2017 and 16 March 2022 to discuss (a) cy-près schemes or (b) charitable contributions to reduce the national debt. The AGO does not hold official records of any meetings at official level between AGO and HMT between the 1st of January 2017 and the 16th of March 2022.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Females

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125417 on Prisoners’ Release: Females, if he will publish a proposed timeline for the national expansion of the Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) provision.

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125417 on Prisoners’ Release: Females, how many women leaving prison accessed (a) community probation practitioners, (b) women’s commissioned rehabilitation service and (c) housing specialists.

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125417 on Prisoners’ Release: Females, how his Department defines homelessness in the context of accommodation outcomes for prison leavers.

Kit Malthouse: Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-5, we will invest £200m per year to transform our approach to rehabilitation. We have issued the Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) prior information notice which is available via the following link: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000136-2022. HMPPS defines homelessness, in accordance with the legal definition, as being where the individual does not have any accommodation available and reasonable for them to occupy, including where they may be rough sleeping, squatting or in a night shelter, emergency hostel, or campsite. Information regarding the number of women leaving prison who make use of housing specialists is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Between July and December 2021, 659 women accessed accommodation support through the Commissioned Rehabilitation Services (CRS), either before or after being released from custody. All offenders who leave prison are provided support through Community Probation Practitioners.

Administration of Justice: Saudi Arabia

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Saudi Arabia on judicial cooperation.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September 2014.

Courts: ICT

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts in England and Wales are using the Common Platform system.

James Cartlidge: The full list of criminal courts using Common Platform system can be found here.

Ministry of Justice: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice is currently updating its Net Zero Carbon Strategy which sets out plans to put the department on course to meet Net Zero by 2050 or sooner.

Holme House Prison: Drugs

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the next stages are of the roll out of the Drug Recovery Prison pilot at HMP Holme House.

Victoria Atkins: The Drug Recovery Prison pilot at HMP Holme House ran from April 2017 until March 2020. It was a jointly supported programme commissioned by both the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service and the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England and Improvement. NHS England and Improvement as well as HM Prison and Probation Service continue to support the programme with many of the activities introduced during the pilot phase moving into business as usual delivery. A Process Evaluation of the Drug Recovery Prison Programme has been completed and will be published shortly. An Impact and Economic Evaluation is due to be completed in 2023. Lessons learned from the Drug Recovery Prison pilot continue to be used to inform wide reaching initiatives such as the HMPPS Security Investment Programme and the Accelerator Prisons Project.

Cabinet Office

Veterans: Suicide

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Government’s plans to tackle suicide among veterans.

Leo Docherty: The Government is clear that any suicide is a tragedy and is fully committed to tackling suicide among veterans. In September 2021, we announced a new method for recording veteran suicide. We expect the first reports from this data to be available in 2023. Concurrent to that work, the MOD, ONS and OVA are working collaboratively to publish a 10-year lookback on veteran deaths through suicide, alcohol misuse and drug abuse. Having a better understanding of the number of veterans taking their own lives will help inform future policy and interventions in support of veterans. Our ambition is to ensure that no veteran’s request for help goes unanswered. The veterans' mental health and wellbeing service, Op COURAGE, was allocated £17.8million funding last year and an extra £2.7million over the next three years. Further, we are supporting veteran-friendly accreditation for GPs and veteran-aware training for social work teams. Additional funding has been awarded to service charities involved in supporting the mental health of veterans, such as through the £5million Afghanistan Veterans Fund, as well as an additional £10 million to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.

Cabinet Office: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to measure its carbon footprint.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.

Government: Communication

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken on seeking regular feedback from different groups of stakeholders to ensure the Government is able to communicate effectively with people with different disabilities.

Nigel Adams: Government Communications teams regularly engage with disability charities as well as a wide range of stakeholder groups in order to better understand and manage those varying audiences' needs and preferences.The Government’s response to COVID-19 significantly improved our overall communications approach in providing important public information to a wide range of audiences, including those with disabilities. As an example, key government publications on COVID have been published and made available in accessible formats, and communications materials have been made available in formats such as large print, BSL, audio and video.

Counter-terrorism

Henry Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of counter terrorist checks expected to be made in 2022, (b) the number of counter terrorist checks expected to be made in 2022 for workers in the aviation sector and (c) the resources to ensure these checks are completed in a timely manner.

Michael Ellis: To reveal demand and forecasts for National Security Vetting (NSV) is likely to prejudice national security. It would also impact the protective measures employed in safeguarding Her Majesty’s Government (HMG). This information is therefore exempt under Section 24 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Notwithstanding the above, UKSV works closely with customer groups and decision-making authorities to understand their forecasted demand for the provision of vetting services. In turn this allows for an appropriate resourcing forecast.

Chequers: Official Hospitality

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 134364 on Chequers: Official Hospitality, if he will publish the meetings within that transparency data that took place at Chequers in each of the last three years.

Michael Ellis: As I outlined in my previous answer, details of official hospitality at Chequers are published and reasonably accessible to the Rt Hon Member on GOV.UK. Notwithstanding the above, the location of every Ministerial meeting in the last three years is not centrally held. Chequers itself is not a government building; it is run and managed by an independent trust.

National Lottery Community Fund: Public Appointments

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2022 to Question 137328 on National Lottery Community Fund: Public Appointments, whether there has been contact between the public appointments unit in 10 Downing Street and Conservative Party officials in relation to any other public appointment.

Michael Ellis: As noted in my answer to PQ126900, the Appointments Unit is staffed by civil servants. Civil servants act in line with the Civil Service Code and its principles of political impartiality. Party political activity is not a material consideration in public appointments: but nor should it be a bar. Many of those who are active in politics have a strong commitment to public service, and there is nothing wrong with such individuals wishing to apply for any public appointment. Experience of working in the voluntary sector (including a political party) or holding public office can be relevant to the criteria for many appointments. All vacancies are advertised on the public appointments website, and any member of the public (including any member of any political party) can sign up to an email newsletter to be informed of upcoming opportunities. Applications are considered on merit in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, and any significant political activity is openly declared on appointment. Official statistics from the Commissioner for Public Appointments show that in 2020-21, just 2% of all appointments (and re-appointments) declared significant political activity relating to the Conservative Party (32 people out of 1538 appointments). This compares with 6% of appointees declaring Labour Party activity in 2009-10 under the last Labour Government.

Policy: Children and Young People

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to engage with (a) children and (b) young people to help inform departmental policy making.

Michael Ellis: The Cabinet Office is committed to engaging all relevant stakeholders when developing policy, including children and young people. The department’s policy profession disseminates guidance and training to departmental policy makers. One such example would be guidance issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on ensuring that the impact of policy on families is taken into account. Another example would be when the Cabinet Office established a dedicated youth engagement team to amplify the voices and experiences of young climate leaders to generate the sense of urgency needed for the world to act for COP26. The team worked closely with youth NGOs and individuals both in the UK and across the world to deliver an inclusive conference in Glasgow last November.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: Access

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the latest estimate is of the date on which access to the Parliamentary estate from Westminster Bridge will be re-opened.

Sir Charles Walker: There has not been access from Westminster Bridge to the estate for many years, and currently there are no plans for access from the north side of Bridge Street to the underpass in the Underground station to be re-opened.